Love then Despair
by Scarlet-roseflower
Summary: Starfire and Robin start to fall in love. Their romance blossoms, and they know they were truly meant to be. But with love comes despair. Their newly formed romance will put them in danger. Once their secret is out, they will become a target. Can they protect the one they love? Or will their love destroy them?
1. Chapter 1: First Date

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Chapter 1: First Date

The Teen Titans were in the lobby, going about their usual business. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a racing game on the Xbox.

"You're going down grass stain!" Cyborg shouted.

"Bring it on tin can!" Beast Boy yelled back. Beast Boy slammed his thumbs on his controller and leaned forward, as if doing so would make his car go faster.

Raven was levitating in the corner of the lobby, reading a book. The book was old, and worn out with a leather binding. The language written on the pages were only known to her, and she seemed distant while reading.

Starfire was sitting in the kitchen feeding Silkie, her pet. She had a bib around Silkie's neck, and she was making funny faces while spoon feeding him.

Robin entered the lobby with a movie in his hand. He proudly presented it, using his other hand to wave underneath it like a showcase item. He looked around, and then cleared his throat.

"Ahem. The new movie Monster Attack 3 came out today." He huffed proudly and looked around the room.

Nobody looked at him, or seemed to care. 'Maybe they didn't hear me.' He thought to himself.

"Guess who got Monster Attack 3 in Blu-ray." He tried again, waving the movie around this time.

Again, nobody looked at him. Robin dropped the movie to his side and slouched his shoulders.

Starfire saw Robin standing there from the corner of her eye, so she glanced at him. She noticed his posture, and thought he was sad. She took Silkie out of his highchair and let him crawl away on the floor. She flew over to Robin and hugged him.

"Friend Robin, what makes you sad?" Starfire asked him. She pulled away and stared at him.

Robin stared into the round emerald eyes floating in front of him. Her face was really close to his, so he blushed and took a step back. Scratching the back of his head he looked at her and answered.

"Nobody seems to care I bought this new movie." Robin said, showing Starfire the DVD.

Starfire studied the title and the picture on the cover.

"This is a movie of screams, is it not?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it's a horror." Robin replied.

Starfire smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Oh I love the horror movies! They make me feel the thrill!" Starfire beamed, floating up and down.

"Well BB and CY have the TV out here, so I was going to watch it in my room." Robin said, looking at the DVD.

"It will be most fun watching it with you Robin!" Starfire said.

She flew past Robin and headed for his room. Robin turned around and stared down the hallway. He half expected her to fly so fast, and also he wasn't sure if he was comfortable being alone with her in his room. He looked at the movie in his hand and shrugged. He really wanted to watch the movie and Starfire _is_ his friend. Robin walked down the hall and entered his room. Starfire was sitting on the floor with a pink pillow in her arms. She really was fast.

"Do you want popcorn?" Robin asked Starfire.

"Oh I love the popped corn!" Starfire beamed.

"I'll get some." Robin replied.

He smiled at her. He loved how easily excited she could get.

Robin put the movie next to his TV, and then left his room. He walked down the hall and entered the lobby. Everyone was still going about their business, so they hadn't noticed Robin and Starfire left the room.

Robin walked over to the kitchen, and opened up the cabinet containing the popcorn. He put a bag in the microwave, and then pressed the popcorn button. While he waited for the popcorn, he felt something tug on his feet. He looked down to see Silkie smiling at him.

"Hey little guy." Robin said. He picked him up and put him on the counter.

The microwave went off, and Robin turned his attention from Silkie to the popcorn. He took out the bag, and poured it into a bowl. He tossed a piece of popcorn in his mouth and savored the salty and buttery taste. He turned on his heels and headed for the hallway, but Silkie let out a little cry. He looked back at the little larva.

"What? You want popcorn?" Robin asked him.

Silkie moved across the counter toward him and stretched out. Robin held out his arm and scooped the larva up.

"You want to watch the movie with us?" Robin asked.

Silkie looked at him and wiggled in agreement. Robin smiled and walked toward his room.

'In a way, this feels like a date…so maybe with Silkie there it will ease the tension…' Robin thought to himself. He blushed at the word date, and shook the thought from his head. 'No, this is not a date. Starfire and I are _just_ friends.' He mentally scolded himself.

He entered his room, and saw Starfire was floating in front of the window, looking out at the sunset. Robin walked over to the window and looked at her. His heart skipped a beat. The hues of pink and orange glowed against her skin, and her emerald eyes twinkled against the light. She looked radiantly beautiful. He found her enticing and couldn't stop staring at her. His gaze met hers and he froze, tripping on his own words.

"Star, I have the uh…corn...the popcorn with silkie. Well, not _with_ silkie, he's not _in_ the popcorn, he's in my arm." Robin managed a somewhat coherent sentence. He mentally scolded himself.

Starfire giggled, and took Silkie from Robin's arm and hugged the little larva. Starfire thought it was cute the way Robin blushed and looked away. She knew he liked her, even though he tried so desperately to hide it. She liked him too. A lot. She smiled at the boy behind the mask in front of her and began hovering from happiness.

"Oh, Silkie my little Zorkaberry!" She hugged Silkie and gave the top of his head a kiss.

Starfire floated over to the end of Robin's bed and sat on the floor. She placed Silkie on the pink pillow next to her, and began rubbing his head.

Robin sighed, hoping he didn't just make a fool of himself. When it came to Starfire, he got really nervous. He stopped mentally beating himself up, and focused on starting the movie. He walked over to his TV and opened the movie case. He put the movie in the DVD player and pressed play. He walked over to his light switch and turned it off, leaving the soft glow of the sunset as the only light source left until it completely set.

He sat next to Silkie, and placed the popcorn between Starfire and him. The room slowly became darker, creating the perfect setting for the scary movie. He glanced at Starfire who had her eyes focused on the TV. He smirked, and then looked at the TV too. The movie began, and Robin sat back and tossed some popcorn in his mouth. He was excited to finally watch the movie, especially with Starfire.

The movie was really good, and had Robin's undivided attention. _He_ even jumped at the scary parts. He reached into the popcorn bowl, and touched Starfire's hand. He blushed and looked at her. She was blushing too and pulled her hand away.

"No, I'm sorry. You go ahead." Robin said, taking his hand out of the bowl.

Starfire smiled and reached for a hand full of popcorn, then turned her attention back to the TV. Robin smiled back, and reached for popcorn too. A loud scream from the TV made him snap his focus back to the movie. The scream startled Silkie, and he fled his pillow and hid underneath the bed. Starfire grabbed the abandoned pillow and squeezed it out of fear. She moved closer to Robin, and brought her knees to her chest.

Robin hadn't noticed the new seating arrangement and had his eyes glued to the screen as he leaned up. The lady in the movie was about to be eaten by the monster and he didn't want to miss it. The monster swung his large slimy arm down and scooped up the lady. She screamed again, startling Starfire once more. Starfire pressed up against Robin's arm, and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her. Starfire buried her face into the pillow, scared to watch what would happen next. She felt safe in Robin's arms, and she began to feel butterflies in her stomach.

The lady was saved by the hero just in time, ending the built up suspension. Robin sighed and sat back.

"That was a close one, right Star?" He asked her.

That was when he noticed she was in his arms. He felt his heart flutter and he looked down at the girl with her face buried in her pillow. He hugged her tighter and gave her a little shake.

"Hey it's okay, she was saved. The scary part is over." He reassured her.

He could smell her sweet hair. She smelled like strawberries. He wondered if her lips were sweet too, and then quickly changed the thought.

Starfire looked up at him with worried eyes, and then glanced at the TV screen. She relaxed when she saw the hero embracing the damsel in distress. The hero embraced the lady, and held her close to his chest. He kissed her passionately and told her he would always be there to save her.

Starfire blushed and glanced at Robin from the corner of her eye. She was still in his arms and felt her heart flutter. She leaned closer into him, and he tightened his grip around her. Her skin tingled at his touch and she could smell him. He smelled like fresh laundry and mint. She loved mint.

The movie ended, and the credits began. Robin loosened his grip around Starfire and leaned back.

"That was a great movie." Robin said.

Starfire snapped out of her trance and focused on her response.

"I agree, however I did not like the monster eating people. That was most unpleasant." Starfire said, still scared from the movie.

"Don't worry Star, I'll protect you from the monster." Robin said.

Starfire blushed. It reminded her of the hero in the movie telling the lady he would always save her. She giggled at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Robin asked her. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

He loved her giggle, he thought it was adorable.

"Nothing is funny friend Robin. I am expressing my happy feeling through the manner of laughing." Starfire said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She missed a piece of hair, and it hung to the side of her face. Robin reached over and tucked the piece behind her ear. Starfire felt her heart skip a beat, and held her breath. She looked up at Robin and smiled.

"You have a beautiful smile." Robin said softly to her.

He tightened his arm around her and held her closer. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, and felt his heart do the same. He looked into her emerald eyes and got lost in their beauty. He wanted to kiss her more than anything, so he leaned in.

Silkie popped out from under the bed and wedged himself in between Robin and Starfire. He was still shaking with fear, and let out a soft cry.

Starfire realized her need for air, and exhaled deeply. She put her attention on Silkie, and picked him up.

"Oh my little love bug, the movie is over. Do not be afraid." She reassured him, cuddling him.

He purred with delight and rubbed his head on her arm.

Robin took a deep breath of air, and sat back. He couldn't believe he almost kissed Starfire. His heart was beating so fast, that his chest hurt.

"We'll I suppose it's bed time." Robin said, trying to take the tension in the room away.

He got up and walked over to the light switch and flicked it on. He took the movie out of the DVD player and returned it to its case.

"Thank you for the movie, and the popped corn Robin." Starfire said.

She stood up with Silkie and walked to the door.

"I'll walk you." Robin said, quickly going over to the door and opening it.

They walked out into the hallway and towards Starfire's room. They were silent, too shy to say anything.

They reached her door and she stopped in front of it.

"I hope the movie wasn't too scary for you." Robin said.

"I am fine. It is Silkie who shakes with fear." Starfire said, holding the larva up.

"Sorry Silkie, next time we will watch a comedy." Robin said, petting him on the head.

Silkie wiggled and made a sound of approval. Starfire put him down, and he crawled into the bedroom.

Robin smiled, and then looked at Starfire.

"Well, goodnight Star. Sweet dreams." Robin said.

"Goodnight Robin." Starfire said, smiling.

She looked at Robin's mask and wondered what his eyes looked like. She wanted to know so badly. She wondered what color they were. She had never seen him take it off, and then wondered if he slept in it. Did he take it off to shower? She thought to herself. She hadn't noticed she was staring at him.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

She snapped back into reality and blinked at him. She felt a little embarrassed.

"I am fine." She responded, tucking her hair behind her ear and biting down on her lip.

Robin found that attractive and smirked at her.

She loved his smirk. She thought it was extremely sexy. She wanted to kiss him. She leaned in, and kissed him on the cheek.

Robin softly put his hand on her cheek and tilted her face so he kissed her lips. They both shut their eyes, and romantically kissed.

His lips tingled, and he felt his face get hot. Her lips tasted sweet and he felt electrical currents go through his body. Starfire felt her heart drop, and fireworks went off in her head. He knees felt weak, and she began to float. She felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, so she parted her lips, letting him in. He tasted like mint, which made her mouth tingle. She moved closer into him, and he wrapped his arms around her back. She put her arms around his neck, and pressed her chest against his. She could feel his heart pounding.

Robin realized he needed air, and pulled away. He gasped and looked into Starfire's eyes. Her eyes were a deep shade of green, and her cheeks were red. He held her tightly and smiled.

"Whoa..."He said

"That was amazing." Starfire gasped, gazing at his mask.

Their heart beats were synchronized, and pounded in their chests.

"Sweet dreams beautiful." He said to her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Goodnight." She said to him, out of breath.

He released her from his arms and let her float away into her room. She smiled at him and blushed, then shut her door.

He stood there smiling. He felt his heart beating so fast, and his mouth still tingled. She tasted like strawberries. He put his hand to his mouth and smiled again. 'So it was a date after all.' He told himself.

'…and it was perfect…'


	2. Chapter 2: The Makeover

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own The Teen Titans

 **Chapter 2: The Makeover**

Starfire woke up and stretched in the morning sunlight. She immediately remembered her kiss with Robin last night, and blushed. She couldn't believe how amazing the kiss was, and how it made her feel.

She got up and floated over to Silkie, humming a delightful tune. She pet Silkie on the head then floated over to her vanity where she brushed her hair. She gazed at herself in the mirror, love-struck. She leaned closer and gussied up, fixing any flaws she could see. She went to her closet and put a clean outfit on, then began to twirl around the room in sheer happiness.

Meanwhile, Robin woke up in his room down the hall. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and sat on the edge. 'Did I really kiss Starfire last night…"He thought to himself. He got up and walked over to the window, looking out on the water. 'That was a bad move Robin. You let your feelings get the best of you. Now what?' He scolded himself. He placed a hand on the window and looked down at the floor. He was confused. The kiss was amazing and felt right, and Starfire was so amazing. She was breathtakingly beautiful and everything about her invited him in. 'Stop, we are teammates. This can be dangerous. This can get out of hand.' His conscience warned him. He grinded his teeth and made a fist.

"Damn it." He said out loud.

He got changed and went to the bathroom. While he was brushing his teeth he thought of way to fix the mess he made. 'Just tell her you were caught up in the moment and it won't happen ever again. It _can't_ happen ever again.' He thought. He spit the toothpaste out and rinsed his mouth. 'This is going to be hard.' He told himself.

He walked out of the bathroom and down the hall toward the lobby. He walked in and saw Beast Boy and Cyborg stuffing their faces at the table, and Raven sipping tea and reading on the couch.

Robin looked around the room and didn't see Starfire.

"Hey guys have you seen Starfire?" Robin asked the team.

Beast Boy and cyborg just continued eating, shoving each others elbows. They always made a contest out of everything. Robin walked over to the couch and asked Raven.

"Hey Raven, have you seen-

"Don't know, don't care." Raven said, keeping her eyes on her book.

Robin felt the dark energy around her and backed up. She was creepy sometimes.

Robin turned around and walked down the hall toward Starfire's room. There was a note on her door.

'That's weird.' He thought.

He plucked the note off the door and read it.

' _I will be at the mall of shopping today friends._

 _I will return shortly.'_

The note was written in purple ink and had a heart drawn in the corner. Robin flipped the note over only to see glitter on his glove.

'She really loves sparkles…'He thought to himself. He put the note back on the door, and walked to his room for a new glove.

Meanwhile at the mall, Starfire was going from store to store buying new outfits. She thought it was time for a new look, and wanted to impress Robin. She walked into a hair salon and looked at all the pictures on the wall. She was looking at all the different styles until her eyes stopped on one in particular. The woman had long hair with sweeping side bangs that looked amazing. Her hair was silky smooth and had loose curls at the end. She wanted it.

She put her bags down on a chair and walked over to the desk.

"How can I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"I would like that hair style please." Starfire said, pointing to the picture on the wall.

The woman smiled and began typing.

"Your stylist is ready for you now. Go ahead and sit at station 4." The receptionist said.

Starfire smiled at her, and read her name tag. Her name was Clair.

"Thank you friend Clair!" Starfire beamed. Starfire flew over to the fourth station, startling a few costumers.

She sat down and looked at the women around her. They were all so beautiful and she began to feel self-conscience.

"Hello, my name is Miranda and I will be your stylist today." The stylist introduced herself and spun Starfire around to face the mirror. She pulled Starfire's hair over the back of the seat, and pumped the chair up to the desired height.

"What are we doing for you today?" Miranda asked.

"Um, I would like that." Starfire said, spinning around and pointing to the picture. Starfire loved how it looked so much.

"A very good choice! I did that one myself!" Miranda said, smiling at her work.

"Most impressive." Starfire said. She felt especially confident that the same stylist was doing her hair as well.

"Alright let's get your hair washed and cut." Miranda said.

Starfire was so excited. She wanted to look beautiful for Robin, and she had a feeling this would do the trick.

Back at the tower Robin was in his office doing paperwork. He had to stay on top of police reports and criminal records, being the leader of the Teen Titans. He was typing out a report when he sighed and sat back.

'It's been three hours. I wonder what she's doing. 'He thought. He was anxious to talk to her and tell her that last night was a mistake. Or was it? He replayed the kiss in his head and closed his eyes. It was perfect and amazing. He wanted to kiss her again. He snapped his eyes open and leaned forward putting his head in his hands.

'Shit…I'm falling for her.' He told himself. Was it really a bad thing? What could be dangerous about it?

'Enemies.' His conscience told him. Robin leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. He took a deep breath and thought about the situation. He knew that if Starfire and him became a thing, it could end badly. They would become targets. She would be his weakness. 'Would be? She already is…'He told himself. He already felt the burning desire to protect her.

Robin saved and closed his file, then got up. He walked over to the window and looked out at Jump City. He knew it was his duty to protect Jump City and its citizens. Would loving Starfire put his city at risk? 'No. I can still protect this city." Robin said. He brought his thump up to his mouth and bit down on his nail. He stared at the city for a while before he finally made up his mind. He would ask Starfire on a real date tonight and maybe, just maybe even kiss her again.

Miranda spun Starfire around in her chair.

"How do you like it?" She asked her.

Starfire flashed a brilliant smile and jumped out of her seat. She leaned toward the mirror and shrieked.

"Oh how wonderful! I love it!" Starfire beamed. She twirled a piece of her hair in her fingers and giggled.

"Oh good! And it compliments you so." Miranda said excitingly.

Starfire purchased her hair cut, then grabbed her bags and left. She was planning on leaving the mall when a beauty store caught her eye. She walked in and looked at the products on the counter.

"Hello my name is Tina. Are you looking for anything in particular today?" The saleswoman introduced herself.

Starfire looked up at Tina and smiled.

"Oh I love you hair." Tina complimented.

"Thank you." Said Starfire smiling. Starfire studied the woman's face. She looked dazzling. Her makeup was perfect and her skin flawless.

"I am not familiar with the face makeup." Starfire admitted, looking lost in the store.

"Oh baby, come here I'll take care of you." Tina happily said. She took Starfire by the hand and led her to a chair. Starfire put her bags on the floor and climbed into the chair.

Tina pushed Starfire's bangs to the side and clipped them in place. She studied her features then smiled.

"You have flawless skin. The only thing I can enhance is your eye makeup and brows." Tina said, picking up tweezers.

Tina began plucking Starfire's brows and shaping them. Starfire twitched with each pluck, since she was not use to it. Tina stopped plucking and then picked up a brow pencil. She shaped Starfire's brows, then grabbed a brow bush and shaped them more. Then she grabbed black eyeliner and added it to the top and bottom lid.

Starfire was so curious with the different makeup products, but surprisingly she sat still. She was afraid to move, so instead she studied Tina's face. She had a determined look on her face. Tina moved to an eyeshadow palate containing neutral colors.

"Gently close your eyes hunny." She instructed Starfire.

Starfire closed her eyes. She felt a soft brush sweep across her lid in a dabbing motion. The motion was repeated on the other eyelid.

"Okay now open your eyes and look up." Tina instructed again.

Starfire did so, and noticed the ceiling was different colors. Tina added black mascara, and then closed the tube. Starfire looked at Tina who stood back and smiled.

"Hold on one more thing." Tina said. She grabbed pink lip gloss and added it to Starfire's lips.

"Perfect. You look like a picture! Speaking of which, may I take one?" Tina asked.

"Take what?" Starfire asked confused.

Tina giggled and grabbed her camera from her drawer. She turned it on and focused it on Starfire's face.

Starfire studied the camera and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Perfect!" Tina said then snapped a picture.

The bright light blinded Starfire momentarily. She blinked then noticed Tina standing next to her. Tina was holding the camera in front of Starfire to show her the picture. Starfire studied it and gasped. She looked beautiful. Starfire spun her chair toward the mirror and studied her face.

"Oh my.." Was all she could manage to say.

"Alright dear would you like to purchase any item used on you today?" Tina asked, ringing her up at the register.

"Yes. All of them." Starfire said, still staring at herself in the mirror.

Robin was in his room thinking of different ways to ask Starfire out tonight. He wanted to keep it a secret from the rest of the team. He looked at his alarm clock and read the time.

"She's been gone for almost five hours. "He said out loud.

He started to wonder where she was and got a little worried. 'Maybe she got lost in the city.' He thought.

He left his room and started down the hall when he heard the elevator in the lobby open. He heard Starfire greet the team. He felt nervous and stopped walking, and listened.

"Hello friends!" Starfire said. She walked off the elevator with her bags and smiled at her team.

Raven was at the table eating a salad. Cyborg and Beast Boy were in the middle of a racing match.

"Hey Star." Cyborg said glancing at her. He quickly looked back and his jaw dropped. He stopped playing the game and Beast Boy cheered.

"Ha! I won!" Beast Boy said. He looked over at Starfire, and then also froze.

Raven looked up from her salad and was stunned for a brief moment, shrugged her shoulders and continued on her salad.

"Starfire? Is that you?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin was confused by Beast Boys question and began walking down the hall again.

"Do you like my new look friends?" Starfire asked. She twirled around and smiled.

Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other and smiled. She looked hot.

"Starfire you look great!" Cyborg said standing up.

He walked over to her and studied her new look.

"What's the reason for the makeover?" He asked her. He examined her shopping bags and raised an eyebrow.

"I want to fit in with humans better." Starfire said. This was partially the reason. The other reason was she wanted to look good for Robin.

"I like it!" Beast Boy said.

Starfire began sharing her daily adventures with them when Robin walked in.

He saw Starfire and froze. 'Oh...my...god.' He thought. He studied her new look then blushed. She was beautiful before, just double the beauty now. No, triple the beauty. He thought he was having a heart attack.

He took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure.

"Hey star." Robin said.

"Hello Robin!" Starfire beamed.

She flew over to him and hugged him. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she touched him. She let go and took a step back so he could see her makeover.

"Do you approve?" Starfire asked him. She twirled around then flashed a brilliant smile.

Robin examined her new look. Her hair looked amazing, and her makeup was flawless. She looked like a grown woman.

"Starfire…you look…beautiful." Robin said, love-struck.

"Thank you." Starfire said. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled. There was a pause between them. They looked in each other's eyes romantically.

"Um…you two okay? "Cyborg asked awkwardly.

Robin snapped back into reality and whipped his head toward Cyborg. Robin blinked a few times and thought carefully about his response.

"Yeah, doesn't Starfire look great?" Robin said, rubbing the back of his head.

Cyborg looked down at Beast Boy and smiled. Beast Boy folded his arms and also wore a goofy smile on his face. They turned around and walked back to the couch. They sat down and picked up their controllers, exchanging a few whispers.

Robin face palmed himself and slouched his shoulders. 'Way to go.' He scolded himself. He quickly straightened up and looked at Starfire.

"I'll carry your bags to your room." Robin said. Truthfully he just wanted to leave the lobby and hide his embarrassment. He walked over to the shopping bags and scooped them up. He carried them down the hall toward Starfire's room.

"Friend Raven how are you?" Starfire asked. Starfire floated over to Raven and sat across from her.

"Peachy." Raven said. She had finished her salad and was opening her book.

"The mall of shopping is a wonderful place." Starfire continued.

"Yeah. You look…nice." Raven said. Raven glanced up at Starfire and smirked at her. To Starfire, this was the most affection she has ever gotten from Raven.

"Oh thank you!" Starfire said.

Starfire jumped across the table and hugged raven. Raven's smirk quickly turned into a frown and she sighed. Starfire let go and smiled big in Raven's face.

"Next time we will go together!" Starfire beamed.

"Yay." Raven replied dryly.

Starfire left the lobby and walked down the hall toward her room. She was ecstatic that her friends loved her new look. She walked in her room and was surprised to see Robin sitting on the edge of her bed.

Robin looked at her and smiled, gesturing for her to sit next to him. Starfire walked over to him and sat down.

"So Star…I was um thinking…that maybe…tonight…if you wanted to…-"Robin was tripping on his own words.

"What is it Robin?" Starfire asked.

Robin noticed that she didn't call him ' _friend_ ' robin like she always use to. He also noticed that she was turned toward him and looking at him, rather than facing forward like in the conversations they use to have. This made him nervous and he put his hand behind his head.

"Well…would you like to go on a…date tonight…with me?" Robin finally managed to ask the question. He was sweating at this point and pulled on his collar to breath. Why was he so nervous…? They already kissed, and he knew she liked him too.

"I'd love to." Starfire replied.

"Where would you like to go?" Robin asked. He was happy she said yes.

"How about we eat the pizza and soda?" Starfire asked.

"Okay Star, that sounds great. How about we leave at five?" He said.

"Okay." She said smiling.

She leaned in and kissed Robin on the cheek. He blushed and stood up.

"You look beautiful. I am not sure I can make myself look as good as you." He said.

"You look perfect to me as you are now." Starfire said, standing up.

Robin smiled at her and moved closer. Starfire leaned up and kissed him on the lips. He returned the kiss and held her close. The kiss felt electric like last night.

Robin pulled away and looked into Starfire's eyes.

"You are amazing." He said.

He gazed into her eyes and smiled. He was excited for the date tonight.


	3. Chapter 3: The Dinner

**Chapter 3: The Dinner**

Starfire and Robin arrived at the pizzeria. They sat down at a table for two, and grabbed menus. Starfire was so excited to be on a real date with Robin.

"Did you have a nice day today?" Robin asked Starfire.

"I had a wonderful day Robin." Starfire replied, smiling. She leaned forward and offered Robin her hand. He took her hand and held it, staring romantically in her eyes.

"Okay and what will you two lovebirds be having today?" The waitress asked, smiling at the couple.

"I will have two slices of the pizza, both with mint frosting." Starfire said, proud of her order.

The waitress raised an eyebrow while she wrote down Starfire's order. Robin giggled and put his menu down.

"I'll have two plain slices." Robin said.

"Okay, and what would you two like to drink?" The waitress asked.

"Water please." Starfire said.

"Make that two." Robin said.

"Okay I'll bring your drinks out now, and your food will be done in ten minutes or so." The waitress said, putting her notebook in her apron and walking away.

Red X, disguised as a common citizen, was a few tables over. He stared at the couple and grinned. He watched them closely and snapped a picture with his hidden Polaroid camera.

"So Star, why did you get this makeover? Trust me I love it, but it's just…different." Robin asked her.

"Well I thought it was time I looked like a citizen of Earth… but mainly I wanted to look good for you." Starfire said, blushing and looking down at the table.

"Look good for me? Why?" Robin asked her.

"I like you very much… I… wanted to impress you with this new… look." Starfire admitted, twirling a piece of her hair.

"You look amazing to me all the time. I think you're perfect no matter what Star." Robin said, leaning up and squeezing her hand.

Starfire blushed and smiled at Robin. Robin returned the smile.

"Robin, are we a couple?" Starfire asked him.

"I'd like to think we are." Robin said.

"Oh good! Then it is settled. We are a couple!" Starfire beamed.

With that, Red x stood up and left the Pizzeria. He was anxious to report this to Slade. What luck he just had! He was there to hold everyone in the pizzeria hostage under Slade's orders, but now something even better happened. He found Robin's weakness.

The waitress returned with two glasses of water and straws. She placed the items on the table, and walked back to the kitchen.

Robin grabbed both glasses and placed a straw in each. He slid one of the glasses to Starfire.

"Thank you." Starfire said. She sipped the water from her straw.

"So Starfire, There is something I wanted to ask you…well more like… inform you about." Robin said.

He looked down from her gaze and stared at the glass of water. He stared at the condensation dripping down from it. He was feeling nervous to bring up the topic that was bothering him so much. He pursed his lips, trying to word out his next sentence in his head.

"Robin? Does something bother you?" Starfire asked, concerned.

Robin noticed again, she didn't address him as "friend" Robin. It made the situation feel that more pressured for him. However, it also gave him the comforting thought that just for a moment, everything was perfect and northing would ever harm them. But he didn't believe in fairy tales.

"Starfire, if we do this… if we are seen together…it could mean bad news. Especially for you. I couldn't bare the-"

Starfire raised her hand and cut Robin off.

"Stop Robin. I am aware of the potential threat that can come of this." Starfire said firmly.

Robin raised an eyebrow and shifted himself in his seat. Starfire's firm voice caught him off guard, and the way she spoke was very different than the usual Starfire he knew.

"Starfire…I just-"

"No Robin. You need to understand something. No matter what, I want to be with you. I have these very strong…feelings. I don't care if we become a target. Being attacked is nothing new to the Titans. Besides…I can handle myself." Starfire smirked when she said that last statement and folded her arms.

Robin didn't know what to say. He just looked into her eyes and for some reason, said the following words. "Okay Starfire. I believe you…"

However, Robin still wasn't so sure. He had a gut feeling something would go terribly wrong. He didn't want to bring the topic back up, so he just pushed back his worried feelings and smiled.

"Here we are! Two minty slices…and two plain slices. Enjoy!" The waitress said, making a face at Starfire's pizza.

"Thank you." Robin said.

The two enjoyed their pizza and company while, unknown to them, they were already in danger.

Red X entered the hideout. He walked down the dark hallway with steamy pipes aligned on either side. He stopped at a particular set of pipes on the wall, and looked both ways. He grabbed the pipe in the center and turned it, opening a doorway in the wall. He entered this secret room, closing the hidden door behind him. He turned left, walking down a set of stairs which led to a wall with an electric box on it. He opened the electric box on the wall, which revealed ordinary wires and an ordinary switch board. He pulled a little tab, and the switch board opened, revealing a number pad. He pressed in his code, and heard a series of clicking before the wall opened up in front of him. He entered the secret room, and the wall closed behind him.

"Returning so soon?" Slade asked from the distance.

"Master, I have some news that will please you." Red X said.

Red X reached into his pocket and pulled out the small Polaroid picture. He held it up and waited for Slade to grab it.

Slade appeared from the darkness, and walked up to Red X. He took the picture from his hand and gazed upon it. Slade smiled wickedly from behind his mask, and glared at Red X.

"This is most useful." Slade said, with a wild look in his eye.

He gripped the picture tightly and disappeared into the darkness. Red X put on his suit and walked over to a mirror. He glared at his reflection, and with an evil grin, he put his mask on.

Robin and Starfire returned to the tower on the R-cycle. Robin pulled into the parking garage in the tower, and parked. Starfire unwrapped her arms from around Robin and pulled off her helmet. She got off the R-Cycle and smiled at Robin, who took off his helmet and looked at her. Robin smirked and cut the engine, leaving them in silence.

Robin kicked out the stand and got off his bike. He put his helmet on the handlebar, and leaned on his bike.

"I enjoyed our…meal together." Robin said.

"I also enjoyed the meal." Starfire said, putting her helmet on a nearby table, and walking towards Robin.

"I would like to do it again sometime." Robin said.

Starfire stopped in front of Robin, and grabbed a piece of her hair. She began twirling it and blushed.

"I would love to eat the pizza and talk with you again Robin." She said, smiling.

Robin smiled then stood up straight, closing the gap between them. He embraced her and looked into her eyes. Without any hesitation, he pressed his lips against hers. He felt the same electric currents as before, and tightened his embrace around her. Starfire could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and butterflies in her stomach.

Cyborg opened the door to the garage and froze. He raised an eyebrow and scratched the back of his head.

"Uh…is this a bad time?" He said, completely bewildered.

Robin instantly let go of Starfire and took a step back, tripping on the R-Cycle. He tumbled over it, and crashed, with the bike, to the floor with a loud thud.

"Robin! Are you alright!?" Starfire gasped, swooping to his side.

"Ow, damn it. I'm okay." Robin said, holding his elbow.

Starfire helped him up and examined his elbow. Cyborg rushed over, and pulled the R-Cycle back up.

"I'm sorry dude." Cyborg said, feeling guilty.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine." Robin assured him.

The three of them stood there silently for the next five seconds.

"Well this is awkward…" Cyborg said, ending the silence.

Robin cleared his throat and tried to explain.

"Cy, what happened...what you saw…"

"Listen guys, your secret is safe with me. Just one thing… WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME!?" Cyborg shouted, waving his arms around.

Robin and Starfire jumped back at the sudden outburst. Robin put his hands up to calm Cyborg down.

"Hey, in our defense we just decided this three hours ago." Robin said.

"Bull. You mean to tell me you just _randomly_ decided to be romantically involved three hours ago?! I want the whole story! Explain!" Cyborg yelled, folding his arms.

Robin and Starfire explained the situation to Cyborg. Cyborg listened and nodded his head, as he now understood the entire story.

"I see." Cyborg said, pondering for a moment. Then flashed a goofy smile and ran up to Robin. He hugged him tightly and picked him up.

"Good for you man!" Cyborg cheered.

Starfire giggled and joined the group hug.

"Um, Cy…put me down." Robin said.

Cyborg laughed and let Robin down.

"When will you let BB and Rae know?" Cyborg asked.

"Well, I guess now. I don't want to hide this from the team. They should know." Robin said.

The three of them walked out of the parking garage and to the elevator. Cyborg hit the button for the top floor, which their lobby was on.

Starfire felt butterflies in her stomach. Her mind was running wild! Being caught kissing, now proclaiming her feelings for Robin to her friends. She felt giddy.

They reached the lobby and the door opened.

"Finally! I've been waiting for you! It's time I took you on at "Karate Chop Extreme"!" Beast Boy yelled. Beast Boy turned into a monkey, and made a karate chopping motion with his hand and tail.

"As tempting as that sounds, Robin and Starfire have some important news to tell you guys." Cyborg said.

Beast Boy morphed back into himself and crossed his arms.

"Aw man." Beast Boy said, upset he couldn't play.

Raven looked up from her book, and took a sip of tea.

"Well um…Starfire and I…well…we uh…" Robin choked on his sentence, and began pulling on his collar.

"You two are dating." Raven said dryly.

"Um…yeah how did you know?" Robin asked, a little confused.

"I know everything. Also you're blushing, and acting really dumb. Plus you're holding Starfire's hand." Raven said, glancing at the couples hands.

Robin looked down and blinked at his hand holding Starfire's. He hadn't noticed he grabbed it, and looked up at her and smiled. She was smiling at him too. Then in that moment, he wasn't nervous anymore. He was really happy.

"Yeah. We're dating." Robin said, confidently.

"Woah dudes! This is awesome!" Beast Boy shouted.

Beast Boy ran over to them and morphed into an octopus. He pulled them into a hug, including Cyborg.

"Congrats." Raven said, and continued reading.

Beast Boy stretched out a tentacle and grabbed Raven. He pulled her into the hug against her will.

"Ew." Raven said, being smushed by the hug.

"I am so happy for you guys!" Beast Boy yelled.

Raven formed black energy around Beast Boy that made him lose his grip around everyone. She tossed him across the room, where he landed on the couch.

"Rude!" Beast Boy yelled, crossing all eight arms.

Robin thought the moment was perfect. He looked over at Starfire, who was hysterically laughing with Cyborg and smiled. He was happy he was sharing this moment with his friends, and forgot all thoughts of danger.


	4. Chapter 4: Trauma

**Chapter 4: Trauma**

Starfire was sleeping in her bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows. She was smiling in her sleep, because she was having a good dream.

Across the room, silkie woke up from his slumber, and stretched. He crawled out of his bed and over to the door, which had a tiny pet door built next to it. He bumped his head on the little button next to the door, and it slid open. He crawled out into the hallway and toward the kitchen for his midnight snack, which was usually half of the contents in the fridge.

As silkie crawled up the surface of the fridge, making his way to the handle, a loud explosion rocked the Titan Tower.

The Titans immediately woke up, and jumped out of bed. Everyone, except Beast Boy and Starfire ran out into the hallway.

"What the hell was that!?" Cyborg shouted, running down the hallway toward the fire and rubble.

Cyborg switched his arm to canon mode and clicked a button in his arm. Water rushed out of the canon and he began putting out the fire.

"It looks like Beast Boy's and Starfire's rooms were hit pretty badly!" Raven shouted, she flew over to the rubble and raised her arms.

"Azarath, metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted. Her eyes glowed white, and dark energy formed around the rubble. She began moving the large chunks of rock out of the way.

"You get Beast Boy, I'll get Starfire!" Robin yelled, rushing to Starfire's door.

A large chunk of the ceiling was pinned against Starfire's door. Robin flicked his staff open and wedged it between the rock and the door. He pulled back with all his strength and the rock came crashing down. He quickly pressed the button to open the door, but instead it sparked and fell out of its socket.

"Damn it!" Robin shouted.

Robin tried prying the door open but it was impossible to budge.

Raven formed dark energy around both Beast Boy's and Starfire's doors and pulled them off their frame. Raven then dropped to the floor and ran into Beast Boy's room, only it was gone. More than half of his room was blown off and fire engulfed almost everything.

"Beast Boy!" Raven shouted.

She looked down and saw a green leg underneath rubble, pinned against the wall. She quickly moved the rocks out of the way, revealing Beast Boy lying limp on the floor. She knelt down and touched him, but he wasn't breathing. She grabbed his wrist and made out a faint pulse.

"Cyborg! He's not breathing!" Raven screamed. She was terrified. She opened Beast Boy's mouth and began doing CPR. Cyborg rushed in to assist her.

Robin was in Starfire's room, and looked around.

"Starfire!" He shouted.

Her ceiling was slowly crumbling and fire was spreading quickly. He looked to his left and saw a giant hole in the wall. Robin covered his mouth to avoid inhaling the smoke and continued searching.

"Starfire? Where are you!?" Robin shouted.

The smoke started to cloud his vision, and he began choking. He didn't see her anywhere, so he ran out into the hall, and toward his team.

"Starfire is miss- Beast Boy! Is he okay?!" Robin shouted.

Raven looked up at Robin, tears flooding her face.

"He's not breathing." She said shakily.

Robin's heart dropped. He had never seen Raven cry before. He had never heard such fear in her voice before. He was afraid.

Cyborg picked Beast Boy up and turned fast on his heels.

"Rae, let's go to the infirmary now, I have equipment that will save him. Robin, go look for Star." Cyborg ordered.

Cyborg and Raven rushed over to the elevator, where they took it down to the infirmary. Robin ran to the stairwell, and practically flew down the steps to the parking garage.

Robin ran over to his R-Cycle, quickly shoved his helmet on and jumped on the bike. In an instant, he was revving his bike and speeding out of the tower.

Robin sped across the bridge that connected the Titan Tower to Jump City. They had the bridge built last year so it made it easier for Robin and Cyborg to get to and from the tower. Robin raced across the bridge, and onto the street, where a driver honked his car and swerved out of the way.

Robin didn't care for the driver, or anyone else on the road for that matter. He kept replaying Beast Boy's unconscious body in his head…the sight of blood. He kept replaying Raven's voice in his head, and the tears covering her face. He was terrified that something like that happened to Starfire.

He didn't see any trace of Starfire in the city. He didn't see the Hive anywhere or any villain in a get-away-car. He didn't know what to look for, or where to turn. His mind began racing and he began to panic. " _Where the hell is she?"_ His mind was screaming.

He thought about her face, their date, their kiss. Then the thought that scared him the most popped up. He didn't want to believe it, or even think it. _"This is…my fault..."_ He said to himself. _"I put her in danger..."_

Robin ran through a red light, and was hit by a car. He broke his arm on impact, and flew off the bike. He rolled across the street until he hit the curb, and smacked his head against it. He let out a groan in pain, and then fell silent.

" _Starfire…_ " He thought of her, as he drifted into unconsciousness.

 _…Robin walked onto the roof of the Titan Tower. He saw Starfire sitting on the edge of the roof, looking out onto the water. She was wearing a long white dress, and the wind gently blew through her hair. Robin approached her, and called out her name. Starfire still looked forward, not speaking. Robin reached out to her, and he froze. Blood trickled from her neck and down her back. She turned her face slightly, flashing a weak smile before falling off the roof. Robin ran over to the edge and looked down, but she was gone. He didn't see her anywhere. He felt the panic rise, his throat tightened, and he screamed her name. "STARFIRE!"_

Robin jolted awake. Silkie, who was asleep next to him, jumped back. Robin looked around the room and realized he was in the infirmary. He looked down and saw a cast on his right arm and a catheter too. He was covered in tape and wires. He leaned up and winced in pain. A sharp pain shot through his side, and made him quickly lay back down.

"Don't get up." Cyborg said.

"What the hell happened?" Robin asked, holding his aching side.

"You were hit by a car. Your right arm is broken, and two of your ribs are cracked. You have a nasty gash on the back of your head, it needed four stitches." Cyborg said, reading a chart and walking over to Robin.

"Starfire? Where is she?!" Robin began panicking. His pulse increased on the monitor.

"Relax dude, you're in no shape to-"

"I don't care! Where is she? We have to find her!" Robin yelled. He sat up, ignoring the pain in his side.

Robin threw the blankets off of him, scaring Silkie away. He turned to get off the bed, but Cyborg rushed to his side and stopped him.

"Robin, Lay down! You can't get up!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin tried to push back, but he was too weak.

"You lost a lot of blood, and you need to take it easy!" Cyborg said, forcing Robin back on the bed.

"She could be in danger Cy, please!" Robin was desperate at this point.

He hadn't noticed that he was crying. He felt a tear fall on his arm, and he quickly wiped both of his eyes with his left hand. When his hand touched his bare eyelid, he froze. He wasn't wearing his mask.

"Where is my mask?" Robin asked shakily.

"Dude, I have it. I had to take it off to treat you. Nobody else saw, it was just me." Cyborg said.

Cyborg handed Robin his mask. Robin took it and examined it. He just stared at it, and then began gripping it tightly.

"I have to find her." Robin said.

He put on his mask, and then looked at Cyborg.

"Last night, Raven-"

"Last night? How long have I been here?" Robin asked.

"You were unconscious for a day." Cyborg told him.

"A day? Starfire has been missing since yesterday!?" Robin asked, bewildered.

"Raven found a clue last night. She went through the security footage and saw a black figure approach the tower. It was caught ten minutes before the explosion. He was quick, so she slowed it down to a frame by frame shot…and…well you're not going to like the next part…" Cyborg said. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What Cy. What did she find?" Robin demanded.

"The figure had a Red X on his chest." Cyborg said.

Robin's pulse increased on the heart monitor. He could feel the anger rise and heat his skin.

"Robin calm down-"

"Don't tell me to calm down! If he took her, if Slade…oh my god…"Robin looked down at his arm.

He quickly ripped the catheter out of his arm, and began ripping off the tape and wires.

"Robin stop!" Cyborg shouted.

Cyborg lunged forward and held Robin back against the bed.

"Cyborg back off!" Robin grinded his teeth.

"We need you to heal man! With Beast Boy down and-

"Down…?" Robin asked.

Robin relaxed a little bit, and stopped pushing back. Beast Boy flashed into his head, and so did Raven's face. When he saw her tears, it broke his heart.

"How bad is he?" Robin asked.

"It's bad. He can't breathe on his own, so I had to intubate him. He's completely unresponsive and his heart already gave out once. If I have to shock him one more time…I don't think he'll make it." Cyborg said.

Cyborg let go of Robin and sat back. He put his head in his hand and sighed.

"This situation is bad man. Really bad." Cyborg said.

"Where is he?" Robin asked.

Robin looked around the room and saw a closed curtain.

"He's over there. I've been monitoring him all night and day." Cyborg said.

Cyborg got up, and walked over to the curtain. He opened it and stepped to the side.

Robin's eyes widened in horror. Beast Boy had a tube in his throat, and a bunch of wires connected to him. He had a cast on his left arm and leg, and he had a thick layer of bandages wrapped around his sides. He had electrodes on his arms, chest and head.

"Shit…"Robin said.

Robin looked away from Beast Boy, and stared at the floor. He didn't know what to say, or how to feel.

Cyborg shut the curtain and walked back over to Robin's bed.

"Robin, we'll find her. We need you to get better first though, we need all of your strength." Cyborg said.

Cyborg grabbed a new catheter and bandages. He walked around the bed and put the items down on a tray.

"Let me see your left arm, since you pretty much messed up your other one." Cyborg said.

Robin silently stuck his left arm out and closed his eyes. He hated the feeling of defeat, and the feeling of helplessness.

Cyborg set up a line of IV fluids in Robin's left arm, and put a Band-Aid on the puncture wound Robin created on his right arm. Cyborg shook his head and sighed.

"Robin…I'm sorry about this. I really am. But you _need_ to be at 100% if we are going to track down those scum bags. Beast Boy will probably be down for a while, so we need to be at our best." Cyborg said.

Robin didn't respond. He just sat there with his eyes closed. He didn't want to ask how long it would be before Beast Boy would open his eyes again. He didn't want to think of Raven crying, and how scared she was. He didn't want to think of Starfire in danger.

"I'm sorry about this too." Cyborg said.

Cyborg quickly injected a sedative into Robin's IV line.

Robin quickly looked up at Cyborg with a confused look. He looked at the needle and scrunched his forehead.

"Cyborg why did y-"

The sedatives quickly reacted and Robin fell back on his pillow. He could hear the sound of his machine droning out. Robin thought of Slade, and he felt angry. He drifted off into a blank space, and closed his eyes.

Cyborg sighed and walked over to the waste bin where he threw away the needle. He updated Robin's medical chart, and walked over to Beast Boy's bed. He sat down in the chair next to Beast Boy, and examined the medical equipment.

He studied Beast Boy's face, and felt his throat get tight. His voice broke a little when he began to talk.

"Hey BB…I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm here dude. I'll be here when you wake up, and we can play 'Karate Chop Extreme' like you wanted to."

Cyborg put his head in his hands. He felt useless.

The door to the infirmary opened and Raven rushed in.

"Cyborg, I found something!" Raven shouted.

Cyborg jolted up and ran over to her.

"What is it?" He asked anxiously.

"Come quick, I'll explain on the way." Raven said, waving him to get on the elevator.

Cyborg and Raven took the elevator down to the parking garage.

"I was in Starfire's room and I found this." Raven said holding up a half melted Red X. "It was wedged in the wall where the hole was. So I leaned out of the hole and looked down. I didn't see anything at first, so I flew down to take a closer look. I found a detached wire, with burnt frayed edges on the rocks, near the water. I picked it up, but it was caught on something. I followed the rope to its end, and I found it anchored with a pipe between to large rocks, near the back of the island. The pipe had D&B Warehouse engraved on it." Raven explained.

"D&B…? Like the old Warehouse that closed like fifteen years ago?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes. It's on the coast of Jump City. I think Red X got here by boat. He must have used the rope and pipe as an anchor, and the rest of the rope to grapple the hole in Starfire's room. Like a Zip line." Raven said.

"That makes no sense, if he had a zip line set up, then why explode…Jesus…Don't tell me…" Cyborg was in shock.

"Beast Boy's room was hit the hardest as a distraction. Starfire was Red X's target. "Raven said.

"We have to find her." Cyborg said. He was pissed off and ready for a fight.

"We need to scope out the place first. If we give them any reason to believe we found them, they could hurt Starfire, or move to another location." Raven said.

"Okay then let's take the T-sub and we won't be noticed." Cyborg said.

"My plan exactly." Raven said.

They reached the parking garage, and ran over to the door that led to a staircase. They took the stairs and that led to a room underneath the parking garage, within the island. They got into the T-sub and powered it up.

"Cyborg. We need to be careful." Raven said.

She was scared. She wanted to find Starfire. She thought about Beast Boy and Robin lying in the infirmary. She was angry that her friends were hurt. She was also terrified that Beast Boy could die. She put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes. She thought of Beast Boy, and felt tears swell in her eyes. She had to believe he was going to be alright…He had to be…because deep down, even without admitting it to herself, Raven loved Beast Boy.

"Okay Raven. Here's my plan." Cyborg said. He began explaining the details to her.

Raven nodded her head and listened to every detail. She thought of her friends, and how it was up to her and Cyborg to help them. She thought of Beast Boy, and felt her confidence rise. When Cyborg finished explaining the plan, Raven nodded in agreement.

"Let's go." Raven said.

The T-sub locked, and they began submerging under water. Raven shut her eyes and thought of Beast Boy one last time, then smiled. "He'll be alright." She thought to herself.

The engine powered on and the two Titans took off into the deep waters.


	5. Chapter 5: Fear

**Chapter 5: Fear**

Starfire woke up and blinked at the ceiling. Her vision was blurry at first but slowly adjusted. She moved her head and looked around the room she was in. She saw that she was in a dimly lighted room, with no windows and a big metal door. There were pipes on the walls and they let out steam, which dampened the concrete walls.

Starfire tried to move her arms, but she noticed that she was strapped down. She looked down and saw that she was in a metal suite of some kind. She felt her heart beat quicken, and her panic rose. She began to wiggle and thrash, trying to break free from the metal bars that confined her arms and legs.

"Where am I? Is anybody here? Help me!" She began shouting.

She tried to use her starbolts to break free, but she couldn't find the energy to form them.

"Let me out! Help!" She screamed.

The metal door made a loud creaking noise. Starfire stopped moving and looked at the door. She was hoping Robin would rush in and save her.

The metal door slowly swung open, and stopped with a thud. Starfire didn't see anyone enter the room. She just saw darkness outside of the door. She was terrified.

"Hello?" Starfire asked.

"Hello there." A voice responded.

Starfire was shocked to get an answer back, but then she remained calm and tried to gain control on the situation.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Starfire asked the voice.

"I am your master, and you are in my playroom." The voice responded.

This made Starfire furious, and she gritted her teeth.

"Show yourself now!" She demanded.

The figure stepped from the dark hallway, and entered the room. Starfire couldn't see who it was quite yet, because it was still too dark.

"Show your face!" Starfire demanded again.

The figure chuckled and stepped more into the dim light. The light glowed on the figures face, revealing an orange and black mask.

"Slade!" Starfire hissed, grinding her teeth. She began thrashing again, trying to break free.

Slade chuckled and moved closer to her.

"Thrash all you want, but you won't escape." Slade said.

"Oh I will, and I am going to shred you to pieces!" Starfire shouted.

She felt the anger rise in her, and her eyes glowed green. She felt the bursting energy of starbolt forming and directed the energy to her eyes.

"Ah ah ah, we won't have any of that." Slade said.

He pressed a remote he held in his hand, and it sent electric shocks through Starfire's body.

Starfire's eyes shut and she threw her head back in pain. She winced and groaned, her body thrashed around from the electricity.

Slade let go of the button and chuckled.

"I already told you, you're _my_ toy." Slade said.

He walked over to the table and opened the metal bars that confined her. He brought his leg up, and kicked her off the table. Starfire flew off the table and rolled on the floor, she crashed against the wall and grunted in pain.

Slade watched her, and waited for her to stand up.

Starfire rolled over on her stomach and pushed herself up slowly with her arms. She coughed out some blood, and then wiped her lips with her arm. She felt the cold metal sleeve she wore against her lips and looked at her suit. She noticed it was similar to the suit Slade wore.

Starfire slowly stood up, using the pipes on the wall for support. She leaned against the wall, and stared at Slade's mask. She focused on the left side of his mask, where she could see his eye.

She stood up straight and lunged forward, running towards Slade. She shouted and bawled her fist.

Slade pressed the remote, but this time she stopped. There was no electrical shock, she just froze, and couldn't move.

"What is happening?" Starfire asked. She grinded her teeth and tried with all her strength to move, but she couldn't.

"Let me explain it to you so you understand. You are my toy. I control your every move. You don't move unless I want you to, and I make you do what I want." Slade said.

Starfire thought of the metal suit. "That has to be it", she though. The suit she was wearing was controlled by Slade. She knew she had to take it off.

"Let me go, or I will-"

"You will do what? You can't _do_ anything. I control you." Slade said, chuckling.

He walked toward her and held out his hand. He pressed a button and Starfire stood straight.

"I want to play with my new toy." Slade said.

Slade controlled Starfire and made her float. She tried with all her will power to stop, but she couldn't. Slade used the remote, and Starfire began to lean forward.

"Go outside and greet our guests." Slade demanded.

With that, Starfire flew out of the room. She couldn't see anything in the dark hallway. She was terrified and began to scream.

"Ahhh! Let me go!" Starfire demanded.

She could hear pipes hissing beside her, and felt the heat of steam on her face. In the hallway she couldn't see anything, but a dim light ahead. As she approached it, she noticed the dim light was against a wall. She tried to stop, but was completely useless. Her heart beat quickened and she began to panic. As she came up to the wall, she suddenly stopped.

Starfire gasped, staring at the concrete wall inches from her face. She could feel sweat drip from her forehead. She looked to her left and saw another dark hallway, she turned her head right only to see the same thing.

She began to float upward, which confused her. She looked up, and saw a dark tunnel above her. Her speed increased, and she took off into it. She didn't hear pipes, or felt steam. The tunnel was pitch black and cold. She continued upward in total darkness, until she saw daylight. She busted from the tunnel, and out into the fresh air. She gasped, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes from the gushing wind.

Starfire stopped moving, and opened her eyes. She saw the ocean, and studied the waves crashing against the rocky shore. She could smell the salty water, and hear the sea gulls. She slowly floated down, until her feet touched the roof top of the building. She heard her suit beep, and the tension against her body stopped. Starfire fell to her knees, but swung her arms in front of her to catch herself.

"I don't understand?..." She said out loud to herself.

She stood up and could freely move her body. She examined her arms, and legs. She was confused for a moment, and then snapped out of her daze.

She tried to pry open the suit with her strength. The suit beeped, and an electric shock was sent throughout her body.

Starfire shut her eyes and fell to her knees in pain, and then dropped to the ground. The electricity stopped, but she held her sides in pain.

"I wouldn't try that again." Slade said.

Starfire snapped her eyes open and looked around. She didn't see Slade anywhere, so she slowly stood up, wobbling side to side.

"Show yourself!" She demanded.

She formed starbolts around her hands, and her eyes glowed green.

"I am right here." Slade said in her ear.

Starfire whipped around, and fired a starbolt. Nobody was behind her, and her starbolt flew across the warehouse rooftop, disappearing into the ocean.

"I am in your head." Slade said again.

Starfire's starbolts disappeared and she shut her eyes. She brought her hand to her ears and covered them.

"Shut up!" She screamed.

"Covering your ears won't help." Slade said, chuckling.

Starfire dropped to her knees and began to cry. She didn't know what to do. She didn't understand how Slade could see her every move.

She opened her eyes and put her hands to her chest. She attempted to take the suit off again, but when the electric shock shot through her body, she ignored the pain. She fought the pain with all her strength, and actually began to break the suit.

Slade grinded his teeth, and turned the electric shock up higher.

This became too much for Starfire and she let out a scream in pain. The electricity stunned her body and her arms fell to her side. Slade quickly turned it off, trying to avoid killing her.

Starfire lost consciousness and fell back with a hard thud.

"Idiot." Slade said. He scanned her body to make sure she was alive. He got a pulse on his reader, and decided to leave her there. He knew that her little escapade would draw attention to the roof top. Even though it was not part of his plan.

Cyborg and Raven were scoping out the factory, from the shore line.

"Did you find anything yet Rae?" Cyborg asked Raven.

He turned away from his monitor to look at her.

Raven was sitting down on the floor behind him, with her legs crossed and her eyes shut. She was using her dark energy as radar throughout the warehouse, looking for Starfire's location.

Raven snapped her eyes open and shouted. "Look out!"

She quickly formed dark energy as a shield around the T-sub. Starfire's stray starbolt from the roof top slammed into the shield, causing the T-sub to shake roughly. Raven and Cyborg flew backward, and Ravens shield around the T-sub diminished.

"What the hell was that?!" Cyborg shouted.

Raven stood up and dusted off her cape.

"It was one of Starfire's starbolts. It came from the roof top. I think she's in trouble." Raven said, rushing to the front of the T-sub.

She hit the controls and the T-sub began to ascend.

"Well at least we know she's alive and fighting. Let's go help her kick some ass!" Cyborg said, making a fist.

The T-sub broke through the surface of the water, and the top began to open. Raven formed dark energy around Cyborg, and took off toward the roof top. She flew as fast as she could.

Raven could see Starfire lying on the roof, motionless.

"No..." Raven said.

Cyborg and Raven landed on the roof, and the dark energy around Cyborg disappeared. They ran over to Starfire, and knelt down next to her.

"Starfire!" Cyborg shouted.

He put his fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. He could make out a weak pulse, and noticed her breathing was very shallow.

"She's okay. Let's get her back to the tower." Cyborg said.

He gently placed his arm underneath her shoulder blades, and his other arm underneath her legs. He picked her up bridal style and turned toward Raven.

Raven nodded her head, and formed dark energy around them. She took off, flying toward the T-sub. They got in, and Cyborg gently laid Starfire on the floor. Raven ran over to the control pad, and shut the top to the T-sub. The hatch locked, and the T-sub began to submerge into the water.

Cyborg knelt next to Starfire, keeping an eye on her vitals. He studied her suit, and the gash in the suits chest piece. "This suit looks like Slade's…" Cyborg thought to himself.

Raven powered up the engine, and took off toward the Titan Tower. She was relieved that they had found Starfire and wanted to make sure she was okay. She thought of Beast Boy and Robin in the infirmary, and how happy they would all be together.

"Raven, I don't like the look of this suit." Cyborg said, touching the chest plate.

Raven turned her head and looked at Starfire. She looked at the suit and frowned.

"That suit…Looks like Slade's invention." Raven said.

"There's a gash in the chest plate…I need to make sure she isn't wounded. I can't open the suit here, or she might bleed out." Cyborg said, trying to peer inside of the gash.

Raven nodded her head, and look forward. She accelerated the T-sub faster toward the tower.

They approached the underwater entrance underneath the island. Raven slowed down, and entered the opening. Once they were inside, she stopped the sub. She hit the controls and the T-sub began to ascend.

The top opened, and the T-sub powered down. Raven hopped out of the sub, and quickly turned around. Cyborg picked Starfire up, and carefully stepped out of the T-sub. They rushed over to the stairs, and ran up them, into the parking garage.

Starfire woke up in Cyborgs arms, and let out a moan in pain.

"Wait up Raven!" Cyborg shouted.

Cyborg stopped and looked down at Starfire. Starfire opened her eyes, and blinked at Cyborg. She moved her head and looked at Raven.

"What…where…" Starfire couldn't form a coherent sentence.

Cyborg gently laid Starfire down on a nearby table in the parking garage.

"Starfire, are you okay?" Cyborg asked her.

Starfire weakly brought her hand to her chest. He hand trembled as she touched the gash in the chest piece. Raven rushed over, worried for her safety.

"Are you wounded there? Were you shot?" Cyborg asked.

"…Electric…shock…" Starfire managed to say.

"You were shocked?" Cyborg asked, confused.

Raven held Starfire's hand.

"Did Slade do this?" Raven asked.

"Yes…Slade controls…" Starfire's words slurred, and she began to lose consciousness again.

Cyborg gently shook her arm to keep her awake. "What does Slade control?" He asked her.

Starfire opened her eyes and looked at Cyborg. A tear fell from her eye, and she focused on his face.

"Me." Starfire whispered.


	6. Chapter 6: Battleground

**Chapter 6: Battleground**

Cyborg and Raven looked at each other in confusion.

"How does Slade control you?" Raven asked her.

Starfire rubbed her head, and shut her eyes. She could feel herself regaining consciousness. Then suddenly her heat dropped. She remembered everything that had happened. She remembered Slade. She opened her eyes and leaned up.

"You two need to get away from me! Hurry before-"

The suit began beeping and Starfire shot up from the table, causing Cyborg and Raven to fall backwards.

Starfire flew across the room, and then stopped. She hovered above the T-car.

"The suit! Slade controls the suit!" Raven shouted.

Raven stood up and ran towards Starfire. Cyborg got up, and shouted. "Wait Raven don't!"

Starfire held her hand in front of her and began to form a starbolt. Starfire's eyes widened with horror.

"NO!" Starfire screamed.

She shot her Starbolt at Raven, and it hit her in the shoulder.

"Uh!" Raven shouted, holding her shoulder. Raven flew back, and hit the ground.

"Raven!" Cyborg shouted.

Cyborg ran towards Raven, but Starfire shot another Starbolt. Cyborg dodged it, diving to the side.

Starfire began crying, and winced in pain.

"Cyborg get Raven! Run!" Starfire screamed.

Starfire tried to stop, but she couldn't. She was terrified. She hurt Raven, and tried to hurt Cyborg. She shut her eyes and though of Robin. What if she hurt him too? The thought made her heart sink. She pictured his face. She remembered their kiss, and their perfect date.

She began to move, so she snapped her eyes open. She was flying toward Raven, who was on the ground holding her shoulder. Raven pressed on the wound and winced. She could feel blood escape from between her fingers, and the wound burned.

"No! Raven run!" Starfire shouted.

Raven opened her eyes, and formed dark energy round Starfire. This stopped Starfire in her tracks, but Raven found it difficult to hold her down.

"Cyborg!" Raven shouted.

Cyborg ran over to Starfire and stopped in front of her. He looked at the gash in her armor and nodded.

"This is my opening! I have to get her out of this thing!" Cyborg shouted.

Starfire's eyes glowed green, so Raven strengthened her shield around her. The dark energy forced the Starbolt to stop forming, keeping Starfire's eyes a dim green.

Cyborg reached inside the shield, placing his hands on the gash.

"Cyborg don't!" Starfire pleaded.

Cyborg tried to rip open the suit, only to have an electric shock run through him. He quickly let go and tumbled backwards. The electricity shot around inside the shield, and Raven lost her strength to keep it up. Cyborg ducked over Raven, shielding her. The electricity busted through, exploding around them. Cyborg and Raven flew back, so Cyborg twisted himself to protect Raven from the impact. They crashed into the wall, and Cyborg grunted in pain. He dropped his hands to his sides, and shut his eyes. Starfire flew the opposite way, crashing into the T-car.

Raven opened her eyes and looked up at Cyborg. "Cyborg!" She shouted.

Cyborg's head dropped as he slipped into unconsciousness. Raven gasped, and snapped her attention to Starfire. Starfire laid motionless on the T-car. Raven didn't know what to do. She looked back at Cyborg, and formed dark energy around him. She levitated him, and brought him over to the elevator. She carefully placed him in the elevator and pressed the button for infirmary, before stepping back.

She studied his face as the elevator's doors shut, and the elevator began to ascend.

Raven then turned around and formed dark energy around Starfire. Raven ignored the pain in her shoulder, and took off flying toward a window. She broke through the window, and flew away from the tower. "I have to keep this fight away from the tower." Raven told herself.

Starfire regained consciousness and looked around.

"Raven, stay away from me!" Starfire pleaded.

Raven turned and looked at Starfire. She could see pure fear in her eyes.

Slade controlled Starfire, and made her shoot a Starbolt at the dark energy. This broke the shield around her, and she took off.

Raven stopped flying and turned around. Starfire began to shoot Starbolts at her.

Raven held up her hands in front of her. "Azarath, metrion, Zinthos!" she chanted. Her eyes glowed white, and she put up a barrier.

The first Starbolt hit the barrier and exploded against it, and then the second one hit the barrier and broke it.

Starfire shot two more at Raven, and bawled her fists.

Raven dodged both Starbolts, but didn't move quickly enough to dodge Starfire's punch. Starfire hit Raven in the chest, blasting her from the sky toward the bridge. Raven struck the bridge, breaking the concrete on impact, and rolling to a hard stop.

Raven let out a cry in pain, and gasped for air. She rolled over to her side, coughing up blood.

Starfire flew toward her, pointing her fist in front of her.

"RAVEN!" Starfire screamed.

Raven looked up and held her arms up.

"Azarath, metrion, Zinthos!" Raven picked up a chunk of concrete to shield herself.

Starfire rammed into the concrete, breaking her hand on impact. The concrete bursted into chunks, and Raven rolled out of the way. Raven formed dark energy around herself, protecting her from the debris. She shut her eyes, and covered her head.

Starfire landed on the ground, and started running towards Raven. Starfire's broken hand throbbed, and she cried out in pain.

Raven opened her eyes, and quickly stood up. She flew upward, dodging Starfire's punch. Starfire flew after her, shooting starbolts. Raven dodged each one and kept darting around. Raven didn't want to hurt Starfire. She couldn't. She knew Starfire had no control over herself, but at the same time, Raven could be killed. She didn't know what to do.

The elevator doors opened, making a 'ding' sound. Cyborg opened his eyes, and rubbed his head. He slowly stood up, and walked out of the elevator.

"I got to help her…" Cyborg said.

He rushed over to Beast Boy, checking his vitals. Beast Boy was stabilized and doing well.

"Thank god…" Cyborg gasped.

He walked over to Robin's bed. "The sedative should have worn off by now…" Cyborg said.

He closed the drip line to Robin's IV, and then carefully undid the catheter. He grabbed some tape to bandage it. He began to take off the electrodes, and turned off Robin's machines.

"Robin! Wake up!" Cyborg shouted, shaking him.

Robin didn't respond to him.

"Shit!"Cyborg shouted.

Cyborg ran over to the elevator, frantically pressing the button for the Ops Center. The doors slid shut, and Cyborg quickly pulled out his communicator to contact Raven. He Dialed for her, but no answer.

"Damn it!" Cyborg said, replacing the communicator to his side.

The elevator doors slid open, and Cyborg ran out. He ran down to the couch, jumping over it, and quickly accessed the communication screen. He contacted Titans East.

Speedy answered the call. He was sitting down on a couch, leaning back with his other hand behind his head.

"Hey Cyborg, what's up?" Speedy answered.

"Speedy, we need help at the tower! It's Slade, I'll explain when you get here, but we need back up now!" Cyborg said.

"On my way." Speedy said, hanging up.

Speedy jumped off the couch and pulled out his communicator while running to the elevator. Aqualad answered.

"Aqualad, Cyborg just called from Titan Tower, they need our help. Are the others back from the mission?" Speedy asked.

Speedy got in the elevator and hit the button to go down.

"No, they were delayed for another day. I'll head out now." Aqualad said.

"Right behind you." Speedy said.

They hung up their communicators. Aqualad ran over to his water entrance, and dived down. He took off like a bullet in the water, swimming toward Titan Tower.

The elevator doors opened, and Speedy ran out. He got on his motorcycle, and revved up the engine. He left the parking garage, speeding toward Titan Tower.

Cyborg jumped back over the couch, and ran back to the elevator. He pressed the button for the parking garage, and pulled out his communicator. He tried for Raven again, but still no answer. This worried him.

Raven heard her communicator going off again, and she knew it had to be Cyborg. She didn't have enough time to answer it, she had to keep dodging Starfire's hits.

"Starfire? Is there a way to turn off the suit?!" Raven shouted, putting up another barrier.

"I do not know! I cannot stop!" Starfire shouted.

Starfire could feel the tears flowing down her face. She shot another starbolt at Raven, breaking her barrier.

"How does he control it?" Raven shouted.

"He had a remote!" Starfire shouted, remembering the small box in his hand.

Raven frowned, and tried to think of a way to get the remote away from Slade.

"Look out!" Starfire shouted.

Raven quickly threw her arms in front of her to put up a barrier, but was too late. She was struck in side by a starbolt, and was sent flying towards the Tower. She crashed into the side of the building, breaking into the concrete. She grunted in pain, before falling towards the ground.

"No!" Starfire shouted.

Starfire flew over to Raven and kicked her back, sending her crashing to the ground. Raven smacked against the pavement, and all the air left her lungs. Her back throbbed in pain from Starfire's kick, and she let out a gasped cry.

Starfire flew down for the final blow, but Cyborg ran over to Raven. He quickly grabbed her, and jumped out of the way. Starfire hit the ground, feeling the intense pain shoot in her broken hand. She stood up, pointing her hands at the two titans.

Cyborg pointed his canon at her, and blasted her with water. Starfire flew back, and rolled across the ground.

"Raven are you okay?!" Cyborg asked.

Raven nodded her head weakly, and then sat up to cough up blood. Cyborg was horrified, since he had never seen her in such bad shape. He studied her bruised face, and busted lip. Her cloak was torn and burnt in the places the starbolts had struck her, and he could see the blood dripping from her wounds.

"Raven…you can't keep fighting-

"Never mind me, she's coming back!" Raven shouted.

Raven threw her arms in front of her, grinding her teeth in pain. Cyborg could see the blood in her mouth pooling between her teeth.

"Azarath, metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted. She formed dark energy around her and cyborg, and flew up.

She dodged Starfire's blow and flew a good distance, to put Cyborg down. She released Cyborg, and then quickly turned around. She took off flying towards Starfire. She put up dark energy around Starfire, and encased her once again.

Raven slowly floated down, until her feet touched the ground. She strengthened her stance, and put everything she had into the barrier. She knew she had to keep Starfire in that shield for as long as she could.

Robin opened his eyes. He blinked at the bright sunlight pouring in the window. His head was pounding, so he brought his hand to his forehead. He slowly sat up, ignoring the pain in his sides. He looked around the room, stopping his gaze on Beast Boy. He looked at the machines, and felt relief wash over him from hearing his heartbeat.

Robin looked down and noticed he wasn't hooked up to his IV line anymore. He slowly stood up, using the bed for support. He took a step forward, and let go of the bed. He walked to the elevator, and got into it. He pressed the button to go up, and the doors closed.

When the doors opened, Robin stepped out. He began walking down the hallway toward his room. Thoughts of Starfire, and Slade swarmed his head. He wanted to find her.

Robin reached his room, and stopped in front of his door. He studied the broken aftermath of the bomb, and the debris on the floor. He looked up and saw a tarp covering the giant hole in the ceiling. He felt the anger rise in him. His eyes met Starfire's busted door frame. He made a fist and slammed on the button to open his door. His doors opened, and he walked in.

He put on a new suit, and grabbed his gear. He was ready to fight.

Raven struggled against Starfire's strength. She pushed forward, screaming in pain to keep the shield up.

"Raven, stop!" Cyborg shouted, running toward her. He was scared she was going to severely injure herself.

"Cyborg! Slade controls this suit by remote! Maybe we can jam the signal until we find him!" Raven shouted.

Cyborg stopped running, and raised an eyebrow. It was a brilliant idea. If he could cut off the signal from the remote to the suit, they could get Starfire out of it. He nodded his head, and started running again, toward Starfire. He stopped in front of her, and looked at her face. His heart dropped. Starfire's eyes glowed green, but her facial expression was sad. Her face was stained with tears, and her lips quivered. He noticed her lip was busted, and he knew it was from hitting her with the water cannon. This broke his heart.

He reached into the shield, and put his hand over the gash in her chest piece. He pulled out some wires, ignoring the electric shock running through his body, and throughout the shield. He connected his arm to the wires, uploading the suits defense system. He began running codes, trying to find the communication between the suit and the remote.

"I'm not going to let that happen!" Slade shouted into Starfire's ear.

Slade controlled Starfire to point her hand at herself. A starbolt began to form.

"No!" Raven shouted. She grinded her teeth, and leaned forward. She poured all her strength into limiting Starfire's mobility.

Cyborg looked up and frowned. Starfire's eyes stopped glowing, and he looked into them. She was terrified.

He looked back down on the screen on his arm.

"I think I found it!" Cyborg shouted, typing on the pin pad.

Starfire's strength started to overpower Raven's. Starfire's starbolt increased in size, ready to fire.

"Cyborg, watch out!" Raven shouted.

Cyborg looked up and quickly covered his face. The shield bursted, and Starfire's starbolt exploded against her chest. She went flying away from them, crashing on the ground and rolling a few feet.

Cyborg was tossed backwards, skidding on the ground, and rolling to a stop. He quickly got up and looked over at the dust around Starfire. He couldn't see anything, so he looked at Raven.

Raven was on her knees, leaning forward. She was coughing up blood, and panting.

"Raven!" Cyborg shouted.

Raven wiped her mouth, and slowly stood up. Cyborg ran over to her, hoping she wasn't severely injured. Raven looked at Cyborg, and held up her hand.

"I'm…fine…" She said with a shaky voice.

Cyborg stopped running, and frowned. Raven could barely stand up straight. He knew they were in some serious trouble. He looked forward, worried about Starfire.

Raven dropped her hand to her side, and looked forward. The dust started to clear, and she waited to see if Starfire was okay.

Starfire flew from the dust, and aimed her fist at Raven. Raven flew upwards, dodging the punch. Raven flew toward the tower, dodging every single starbolt fired at her.

Robin entered the parking garage, and rushed over to his R-cycle. He was about to get on it when a loud blast shook the side of the tower.

"What the hell?" Robin said.

He turned around and saw Starfire fly past the window. His heart dropped.

"Starfire…" He whispered.

He started running, toward the garage door that was already open. He ran outside, and looked up. He saw Raven flying around, putting up a barrier in front of her. He looked around and saw Cyborg, so he ran towards him. Robin flicked open his staff, and quickened his pace.

"Cyborg!" Robin shouted.

Cyborg snapped his focus on Robin. He was relieved to see him, but also upset that he would see Starfire being controlled. He knew seeing her like this would break him.

"You found Starfire? Is she okay?" Robin asked, looking up to see her.

Raven and Starfire must have been on the other side of the tower, because he didn't see them.

"What's going on? Who are we fighting?" Robin asked, looking back at Cyborg.

He studied the distraught look on Cyborg's face, and Robin raised an eyebrow. He wondered if it was Slade they were fighting.

A giant wave crashed against the rocky shore on the island, and Aqualad jumped out of it. He landed on his feet, and began running over to Robin and Cyborg.

Robin was confused to see him, and looked back at Cyborg.

"Cyborg whats-

Speedy's motorcycle revved across the bridge. He sped toward Robin and Cyborg, and skidded to a stop. He turned off his bike and hopped off, quickly kicking out the stand. He ran over to them, with one hand on his quiver, and the other gripping his bow.

"We're here. What's going on?" Aqualad asked, looking around. He studied the broken concrete and debris around them.

"Cyborg?" Robin asked.

"It's Starfire…Slade made a suit…and he's controlling her. She can't stop." Cyborg said, looking at Robin.

Robin's heart dropped. He didn't want to believe that was true, and he quickly looked up.

Raven dodged Starfire's starbolt and turned to put up a shield, but wasn't fast enough. Starfire kicked Raven in the stomach and sent her flying toward the group of titans on the ground.

Aqualad ran forward and jumped up, catching Raven before landing back on the ground. Raven held her aching sides, and gasped for air. Her body hurt with every breath she took.

"Are you alright?" Aqualad asked her.

Raven opened her eyes and nodded. He helped her stand up, letting her lean on him.

Robin just stood there, completely lost. He watched as Starfire flew towards them, her eyes glowing green.


	7. Chapter 7: Life and Death

**Chapter 7: Life and Death**

' _Is this happening…is this really happening right now...'_

Robin stared as Aqualad grabbed Raven and dodged Starfire's hit. He looked over at Cyborg, and saw his lips moving, but didn't hear anything. Everything was just a silent blur to him. He looked at Starfire who wore a helpless look on her face. He saw the tears that flooded her face, and the bruised that formed around her busted lip and the bruises on her face. He watched as she moved with no control of herself. He was frozen.

"Robin move!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin didn't respond. He stood there with his arms dropped to his sides. His grip around his staff loosened and it slipped out of his hand, dropping to the ground with a metal clang.

Cyborg ran over to Robin, knocking him out of the way, and taking Starfire's hit. Cyborg flew back, rolling across the pavement. Robin was knocked to the ground, catching himself with his arms. He slowly stood up, and looked back up at Starfire.

Robin wanted to reach out to her, and make her stop. He wanted to pull her into his arms and protect her.

"Cyborg!" Speedy called after him. Speedy ran over to him, and helped him up.

"I'm okay." He said, dusting himself off. "Aqualad, use water against her, but take it easy. We have to get her out of that suit. Slade is controlling her with a remote." Cyborg said.

Aqualad took off, running to the water. He used it to form a cyclone, and kept himself at the top of it.

Slade's signal was a little distorted from Cyborgs earlier attempt to hack the defense system, so he could no longer communicate with her. This angered him, because he could not hear what was going on. However, he still had full control and visuals of the battle.

He controlled Starfire to go after Aqualad.

Aqualad moved with the cyclone, shooting bursts of water at Starfire. She dodged them, and fired her Starbolts. Aqualad formed a shield of water in front of him to block her shots.

Speedy ran over and switched his quiver to grapple mode. He pulled out an arrow, and loaded his bow. He aimed at Starfire' who was darting around the in sky. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.

He fired his arrow and the rope fluttered behind it. The arrow grazed Starfire's leg, and then wrapped around it, tightening with the rope. Speedy held the other end, and planted his feet firmly on the ground. The slack in the rope disappeared and the rope yanked tightly.

He wasn't prepared for her intense strength, and he was yanked forward, feet leaving the ground.

Raven formed dark energy around him, keeping him from flying forward. Raven winced as she moved her arms above shoulder level, and let out a soft whimper.

Speedy held tightly to the rope, and started yanking on it. Starfire flew around in circles, being tied down to the rope. She was tugged closer and closer with each yank, and she was hopeful that this plan would work. She wanted this nightmare to end.

Robin snapped out of his daze, and watched as the two teams worked together to save Starfire. He nodded his head, and ran over to his staff. He swiftly picked it up, and ran over to the group of Titans.

Cyborg was relieved to see that Robin had snapped out of his daze, and was back to reality.

"You had me worried there for a moment." Cyborg said.

"Never mind me. Tell me what I missed." Robin ordered.

Cyborg filled Robin in on the situation. Robin felt the anger rise in him, and he wanted to beat the hell out of Slade. He felt so distraught seeing Starfire so scared. He could only imagine how this made her feel. How scared she was. He didn't want to bear the thought of this situation ending badly, so he focused on making a plan.

Robin looked over at Raven, who struggled to keep her dark shield up. He was horrified by what he saw. Blood stained her chin, and cloak. He could see her grinding her teeth, and scrunching her forehead in discomfort. He studied the scorch mark on her side, and the drips of blood that slowly collected on the ground beneath her. She was fighting with everything she had, and it was time he did too.

"I have an idea!" Cyborg said, catching robin's full attention.

"What if we aim water directly into the gash in her chest? I think I broke some wires earlier when the shield broke. I was still attached to them when I was knocked back. Also, I noticed that every time Aqualad uses water, she dodges it, or uses her arms as a shield in front of her chest. I think Slade knows that we created a weak spot." Cyborg said.

Robin nodded in agreement. He thought the plan sounded good, and wanted to put it in action now.

"Aqualad! Aim for the gash in her chest!" Robin shouted.

Aqualad nodded his head and focused on the gash in Starfire's armor. He carefully moved his body with the water, trying to follow Starfire's speed.

Starfire, still being attached to the rope, was flying in a fast circle. Speedy was scrunching his eyes shut, holding on the rope with all of his strength. He knew that if Raven wasn't holding him down, he'd be screwed.

Aqualad put his arms in front of him and aimed at Starfire. He shot water at her and she moved out of the way. Aqualad countered her move with another stream of water, but this time he aimed it above her.

Starfire looked up and dodged the water, when she was struck by a second stream underneath her. The water rushed up her body, pouring into the gash of the suit. The suit began to spark and shock, sending electricity through the water stream. Aqualad diminished the water, and lunged forward on land, avoiding the electricity. The electricity burnt the rope and it snapped, and Speedy jerked backwards. Raven was able to use her remaining strength to hold Speedy in place. Raven slowly lowered speedy back down before collapsing to the ground, being completely drained of all energy. Cyborg ran over to Raven, making sure she was okay.

Starfire hovered in midair, being paralyzed by electricity. She let out a scream in pain, as the suit cracked around her, breaking.

Slade slammed his fist on the table as his signal was cut out and he lost view. The suit was disconnected and he knew his plan had failed. He gritted his teeth and cursed at the Titans.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted, running underneath her.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she lost consciousness. She began to fall.

Robin held his arms out, catching her. He fell forward with her, and they hit the ground with a thud. Robin quickly got up and leaned over her, moving her hair from her face.

He looked at the suit and it still sparked. He quickly began ripping it off her. He removed her arm pieces and leg pieces. She was wearing her purple outfit underneath, but it was damp and torn. Robin removed the chest piece, ignoring the electric shock stinging his hands. He carefully took off the metal piece that clinged to her neck, revealing the bruises it left behind. Her body was bruised, and her face was cut up. He studied her face and his heart sank.

Starfire's lip had a slow stream of blood dripping from the cut, and her face was covered in bruises. Her face was completely relaxed, with her eyes being softly shut. Her body was completely still. Not even her chest rose and fell. She wasn't breathing.

Robin put his head to her chest, but didn't hear a heartbeat either.

He felt his heart drop, and his throat tightened. His eyes burned and swelled with tears.

"Starfire..." Robin choked out.

He leaned up and positioned himself to give CPR. He carefully opened her mouth and breathed for her, and then began doing chest compressions.

"Starfire…" Robin said again. His eyes filled with tears and they began to fall down his face. They rolled down his cheeks and landed on Starfire's shirt.

Cyborg rushed over. He knelt down across from Robin, and checked Starfire's vitals. He couldn't get a pulse either, so he scanned her body with his arm. Still no pulse.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out.

Cyborg looked up at Robin and was heartbroken. He saw the tears flowing down his face and the distraught look he held. He had never seen Robin like this. Cyborg gently moved Robin's hands off Starfire's chest and switched places with him. He began chest compressions.

Robin stared at Starfire's face and began sobbing.

"Starfire, don't leave me!" He cried. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

Speedy and Aqualad were stunned. They had never seen Robin in such a state of repair. They swapped worried looks, and walked over to assist them. Aqualad noticed Raven trying to stand up, so he rushed over to her. He gently grabbed her arm and helped her up. She took a step forward, but her leg gave out. Aqualad scooped her up, and began to carry her over to the group.

"Thanks." Raven said.

Aqualad carefully put Raven on the ground next to Robin. Raven put her hand on top of Robin's and Starfire's.

Robin didn't acknowledge the group of Titans around him. He only focused on Starfire's face.

Cyborg continued the CPR, hoping he would feel a pulse. Nothing was happening. Starfire lay motionless, and everyone began to worry. Tears began to fall down Raven's face, and she looked down.

Aqualad knelt down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He too could feel tears threaten his eyes, and his throat felt a little tight. He looked over at Starfire, and his shoulders dropped. He felt awful. He was the one that struck her with the water, and he felt guilty. He knew she had no control over her body, and the water attack was the Titans last resort, but he still felt guilty.

He gave Raven's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"I'm sorry." Aqualad said.

Speedy squatted next to Aqualad.

"It's not your fault man, we did everything we could." Speedy said.

Speedy looked over at Robin. He felt bad for him, and studied his expression. He saw the tears rolling down his face. It bothered him to see him like that. He was used to Robin and him goofing off and challenging each other over everything. Speedy looked down at Starfire. He studied her bruised face, and then looked away. He couldn't stand seeing her like that. He was so used to seeing her fly around, smiling and being joyful. He remembered when they first met the Titans and how weird he thought Starfire was. However she eventually grew on him, as she did on everyone. They all came to know and love their alien friend. She always had a smile on her face. Seeing her lying on the ground like this broke everyone's hearts.

Cyborg looked around him, for anything that could help. He looked over at the suit that still had wires sparking.

"Seedy bring me the suit!"

Speedy quickly ran over to the suit, not wasting a second. He picked up the chest piece and ran it back over to Cyborg. Cyborg took it and placed it on the ground next to him.

"Robin I need you to take a step back." Cyborg said.

Robin didn't respond. He just stared at Starfire's face. Raven gently removed Robin's hand off of Starfire's. Robin's hand fell to his side, and he leaned back. He never took his eyes off her face.

Cyborg looked at the suit, and grabbed the wires. It shocked him, but he ignored it. He pulled out the wires and brought them over Starfire's chest.

"Hang on Star." Cyborg said.

He pressed the wires to her chest and it shocked the both of them. Cyborg shouted, but continued to hold on.

Starfire's body jerked forward and she opened her eyes.

Cyborg quickly let go of the wires, and fell backwards. Speedy kicked the suit away from the group, and made sure Cyborg was okay.

Starfire shouted in pain, and rolled over to her side. She coughed up blood, and pressed her hands onto her aching chest.

Robin lunged forward, leaning over her and carefully moving her head to face him.

"Starfire!"

Starfire opened her eyes and looked at Robin.

"Robin!" She shouted back at him. She turned her body and leaned up, wrapping her arms around his neck. She began sobbing into his chest.

"I'm here Star. I'm here. I am so sorry this happened. I will never leave your side." Robin comforted her, squeezing her.

Everyone around them smiled and wiped their tears. They were happy that Starfire was okay, and they were happy to see the couple embracing each other.

Robin held Starfire tight and made himself a promise. He would find Slade, and kill him .


	8. Chapter 8: Recover

**Chapter 8: Recover**

 _Starfire woke up in a dark room. She could hear the steam of pipes hissing around her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She couldn't move. The pipes on the wall moved and slithered like snakes, moving down the walls and onto the floor. They wrapped around her legs, and slithered up her body._

 _She was terrified, and tried to shake them off of her. She looked around frantically for help, but froze when she saw him._

 _Slade appeared from the darkness holding a mask, identical to his. He walked towards Starfire, holding the mask in front of him._

 _"Now you will be complete." Slade said._

 _He raised his arms, and put the mask on her face._

"NO!" Starfire screamed. She shot up, shielding her face with her arms.

Robin snapped his eyes open, and quickly leaned up. He scanned the bedroom, before turning his attention to Starfire.

"Star, it's okay." Robin reassured her.

Starfire slowly dropped her arms to her side, and looked at Robin. Her eyes began to fill with tears, until the largest ones rolled down her cheeks.

"Robin…" Starfire whispered.

Robin's heart sank, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. He knew she had another nightmare about Slade. It had been three weeks since the traumatic experience and everyone was still coping, especially Starfire.

The Titan Tower was still under repair, with the Titans East helping them. Starfire, besides the fact her bedroom was not completely repaired, didn't want to sleep in her room. She asked if she could sleep with Robin. Robin had agreed without any hesitation. He knew she was still healing from the incident, and he also knew that she didn't want to sleep alone ever again.

"You're okay, I'm right here."

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and sobbed in his chest. Robin squeezed her, and then began stroking her hair soothingly. Her hair was damp from sweat, and he could feel her body shaking.

Robin gently guided Starfire back to her pillow, and pulled the covers over her. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to his chest. He continued to stroke her hair, listening to her breathing. He waited until her sobbing eventually stopped. He felt her chest rise and fall in an even pattern, and then kissed her forehead.

"I will always protect you." Robin whispered into her ear.

She shifted in her sleep, and turned her face towards his. He could see a slight smile on her lips. Robin smiled and kissed her. He closed his eyes, and went back to sleep. He hoped that he gave Starfire a new dream about something happy. He couldn't stand the thought of her having another nightmare.

The next morning, Robin opened his eyes. He blinked at the sunlight pouring through the window, and yawned. He stretched his body and looked over to Starfire, who was still sleeping beside him. He couldn't help but smile at her, and leaned over her to kiss her cheek.

"Good morning beautiful." He whispered in her ear.

She moaned and shifted in her sleep.

Robin smirked and then carefully got out of the bed, trying not to wake her. He grabbed a clean uniform and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.

In the infirmary, Cyborg was monitoring Beast Boy's machines, and taking notes. He was in the middle of writing when he heard Beast Boy start to choke and his pulse increase on the monitor.

"Woah!" Cyborg shouted.

He rushed over to Beast Boy, and pressed on his shoulder.

"Hold on its okay!" He shouted. Cyborg quickly undid the tape around Beast Boy's mouth, and carefully began pulling the tube from his throat. Beast Boy gagged as the tube slid out.

Cyborg pulled the entire tube out and tossed it on the tray next to the bed. Beast Boy continued to cough and gag, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Beast Boy! Are you alright? Can you hear me?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy rested his hand on his chest, and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at Cyborg, adjusting his vision. Everything looked blurry to him. He brought both hands to his eyes, and rubbed them, trying to correct his blurry vision. He opened them once more and he could see Cyborg clearly, leaning over him with a worried look on his face.

"Dude…what happened…" Beast Boy asked weakly.

"Thank god!" Cyborg shouted. He leaned down and squeezed Beast Boy.

"Ouch." Beast Boy choked out.

"My bad. It's so great to hear you man. How are you feeling?"

Beast Boy began to slowly rub his head, and looked around the room.

"I feel like shit. What happened?" Beast Boy asked. He began rubbing his sore throat from choking, and looked at Cyborg for an answer.

"The Tower was hit pretty badly. Your room was hit the hardest in the explosion-"

"Explosion?" Beast Boy asked. He leaned up a little. He winced at the sharp pain in his side and quickly dropped back to his pillow.

"Take it easy, you've been down for a long time. You have three broken ribs and a lot of other broken stuff too."

"Down? How long have I been in here?"

"Three weeks."

"Three weeks! What the hell!" Beast Boy shouted.

"You were in a coma. Completely unresponsive. You almost…" Cyborg's voice trailed off. He didn't want to say Beast Boy could have died. He didn't want to think it. Seeing Beast Boy awake and responsive was a miracle.

"Shit…where is everybody? Are they okay?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah. Everyone is alright. Well for the most part."

"What do you mean?"

"First I need to go over your vitals. I have to make sure you're okay."

"Okay, but you have to fill me in on everything. What happened to the Tower, and why?"

Cyborg started running tests and checked Beast Boy's vitals. The results looked good, and Beast Boy seemed like he would make a full recovery. Cyborg was hesitant to tell him what had happened, but Beast Boy had to know. He began filling Beast Boy in and watched his expression fade from confusion to pure anger.

When Cyborg finished the story, he took a seat next to Beast boy's bed. He rubbed his head and leaned back, sighing before continuing to talk.

"Starfire is still messed up from the whole thing. Poor girl…she can't even stand to be in her room. And Raven has been meditating for a while now. She was in the infirmary for a little while, and then suddenly left and went to her room. She mentioned something about another dimension, and has been 'gone' for like a week. She probably went back to that wired place."

Beast boy knew what he was talking about. The both of them had been there once. It was creepy.

"Is she okay?" Beast Boy asked worriedly.

"Physically she's okay. She's still healing. Emotionally I'm not so sure. I'll tell you what though, that one is a tough cookie. I never saw such strength from her before, she's pretty damn strong."

Beast Boy smirked and shut his eyes. "Yeah, she's pretty amazing."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow at Beast Boy and studied his face.

"You sure you're feeling okay?"

Beast Boy didn't respond, and kept his eyes closed.

"Beast Boy?" Cyborg asked a little worried.

He got up from his seat and moved closer to Beast Boy, only to have his worry swapped with a smile. Beast Boy was sleeping. His chest was calmly rising and falling and his lips were slightly parted, letting a slight snore pass through.

"It's good to have you back." Cyborg said.

He checked his vitals one last time, before grabbing his communicator. He couldn't wait to tell the rest of the team.

Robin was in his room, rubbing his head with a towel. He replaced the towel on its hook, and walked over to Starfire.

"Wake up Star." He said, gently shaking her.

She moaned in her sleep and buried her face in her pillow. Robin squatted next to the bed and tried again.

"Hey sleepy head…" Robin gently shook her arm again.

Starfire shifted her head towards him and opened her eyes. She peaked at him through her hair, and smiled.

Robin smirked back and moved the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Good morning Star."

"Good morning Robin."

Starfire flipped over and stretched. She sat up, yawning and stretching some more.

Robin stood up and walked over to his dresser. He opened his bottle of styling gel, and swiped some on his finger. He began rubbing it through his hair, styling it.

"What do you want for breakfast?" He asked her, studying his hairstyle in the mirror.

"I would like the panned cake."

Robin chuckled and spun around to face her. He leaned against the dresser, and smiled.

"You had pancakes every morning this week."

"I cannot resist them. They are wonderful." Starfire said, twirling a piece of her hair.

"Okay, pancakes it is! But you know, Cyborg makes the best. I'll just have to see what he's doing."

Robin's communicator went off and he picked it up.

"Hey, look who it is!" Robin said, reading Cyborg's name on the screen.

Robin answered the call. He was hoping Cyborg would agree to make the pancakes. Again.

"Hey Cyborg! I was just talking about your pancake-

"Beast Boy is awake."

Robin widened his eyes and he stood up straight.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping now. Everything checks out though. I tried calling Raven, but she didn't pick up."

"Okay, I'll go to her room and see what's up."

"Alright."

Robin hung up and smiled big.

"Beast Boy is awake!"

"Oh thank goodness! I was so hopeful!" Starfire cheered. She jumped out of the bed and ran over to the closet.

"I gotta go tell Raven, she didn't pick up. She's probably still meditating." Robin said.

"I will go to friend Raven. You go to friend Beast Boy!" Starfire said. She grabbed a clean outfit from the closet and rushed over to the door.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright then, I'm going to head down now and see him."

Starfire flew to the bathroom to get changed and brush her teeth. She was ecstatic that Beast Boy was awake. The day of the incident, after Cyborg had brought her back, she was put in the infirmary. When she saw Beast Boy she cried and cried. She was so hurt, seeing him like that.

Raven had been in the infirmary for only five days. She just got up in the middle of the night, against Cyborg's orders, and went into her room. She began a deep meditation and transitioned herself into another dimension. She went inside her mind, where it was hard to reach her. She did however have a portal to get there. Cyborg and Beast Boy had used it once before, but they vowed to never do it again.

Starfire studied her face in the mirror. The bruises were gone, and only a few faded scratches remained. One particular scratch near her ear looked like it would scar, so she kept it hidden with her long hair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She just wanted to move on. She knew she would never feel safe alone, but she had Robin. She felt incredibly safe with him. She wanted her nightmares to end, and for everything to get better. She opened her eyes and sighed.

"Stay hopeful." She whispered to herself.

She left the bathroom and walked down the hall to Raven's room. She kept repeating the words 'stay hopeful' in her head. She stopped in front of the door, and hesitated knocking. She wondered if Raven was in the room or still in her other dimension. Sometimes she was scared to knock on her door. Starfire took a deep breath and focused. She thought of how happy Raven would be when she finds out Beast Boy is awake, and knocked.

Starfire took a step back and waited. Nothing happened. She moved closer to the door.

"Friend Raven?" she asked through the door.

There was no response. Starfire pressed the button on the wall and the door slid open. She peeked her head in, but it was too dark to see anything.

She slowly took a step into the room, and formed a starbolt around her hand for light. She walked slowly forward, with her arm in front of her. The door shut behind her, startling her a little bit.

"Friend Raven? I have delightful news to share."

Nobody answered. Starfire walked over to the window and diminished her starbolt. She opened the heavy black drapery, letting sunlight pour into the room.

Starfire looked around, but didn't see Raven anywhere. Her eyes stopped on a particular mirror resting on Raven's bed.

She knew what the mirror was. Beast Boy and Cyborg had described it to her and Robin, and they couldn't believe it really existed. Starfire always wondered what it was like, being inside Raven's mind that is.

She took a step forward and the mirror began shaking. Starfire gasped and took a step back. A bright light beamed off the mirror and filled the room. Starfire looked down and covered her eyes.

After a few seconds the light faded, and Starfire looked up. Raven was standing next to her bed, holding the mirror in her hand.

"Friend Raven, you have returned."

"I sensed somebody in my room. I was keeping an eye on the mirror while I was….away and I could feel another energy getting close to it."

Starfire frowned and looked at the floor.

"I apologize."

"No it's okay. I kind of lost track of time in there. How long have I been gone?"

Starfire smiled at Raven's reassurance, and looked back up at her.

"A week has passed."

"A week? I was gone longer than I thought…"

"I have delightful news to share with you friend Raven."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Delightful news?"

"Friend Beast Boy is awake."

Raven's eyes widened.

"He's…awake…"

"Yes! Let us visit him and rejoice!" Starfire cheered, clapping her hands together.

Raven smirked.

"Yeah, let's go see him." She used her sleeve to wipe away tears. She was happy.

Starfire tuned to leave, but Raven stopped her.

"Wait. Can I ask you something?"

Starfire turned back around and looked at Raven. It was unusual for Raven to actually _want_ to keep a conversation.

"Of course."

"How have….um…are you okay?"

Starfire was shocked. Raven had never asked her that before other than if they were in battle. Starfire almost didn't know what to say.

"I am…hopeful."

"Hopeful? What do you mean?"

"I still have terrible dreams and I still fear the dark, but I am staying hopeful. I am safe now and hopeful I will remain safe. I am with all my friends again and hopeful I always will be. I am hopeful I will recover and put everything in the past."

Raven smiled and nodded her head.

"Then I will be hopeful too."

Starfire smiled big and flew over to Raven. She threw her arms around her and squeezed her. Then, to Starfire's amazement, Raven hugged back.

"Thank you friend Raven."

"Don't tell anybody."

This made Starfire hysterically laugh. Raven wasn't sure if it was because she just reconnected with her inner emotions, or if it was because of the mood, because to her own surprise she also laughed. In that moment she was really happy. She was happy to share this moment with Starfire, and happy to know Beast Boy was awake. She thought about him and smiled. She planned on telling him how she felt. She wasn't going to waste this second chance.


	9. Chapter 9: Doctor

**A/N** \- Okay this is a filler chapter, I'm sorry=[ but I needed to pave a bridge in order to continue with the stories' progression. Silkie's sickness does not have a dead end I promise! This is just a break from all the chaos from the attack. I wanted to give a sense of recovery time and give everybody a chance to heal. I will be taking this time to also focus on relationships and introduce some more characters. Once I get pass this slower, calmer timeline, things will pick back up again. I apologize for the short length of this chapter, next chapter will be much better! Let's just say, it's not over yet. Let's hope the titans are ready for the next wave.

 **Chapter 9: Doctor**

"Oh man, this is sweet!" Cyborg shouted.

Robin and Speedy chuckled as they installed the new security monitor in the Ops center. Eight weeks had passed since the tower had been attacked, and it was finally repaired. All the damage had been fixed, and the security was upgraded. They even installed a radar around the tower, so if anyone unauthorized approached it, an alarm would sound.

Cyborg stared at the new, giant monitor with awe.

"Dude, it's going to be so sweet watching me kick your butt on a bigger screen!" Beast Boy said from the couch.

He was lying on the couch, with his back resting against the arm. He had a pillow underneath his casted leg, elevating it. His casted arm was held in a sling, and his other arm rested on the back of the couch.

There was a wheel chair for him next to the couch. He was still in physical therapy, and was still healing from his wounds. He improved a great deal since he woke up from a coma.

"You mean when _I_ kick your butt." Cyborg protested.

"In your dreams dude." Beast Boy countered.

The two of them began arguing about who was the better gamer, throwing playful insults at each other.

Robin and Speedy joined in on their conversation, both claiming they were the best gamer.

Raven, in the kitchen, rolled her eyes at the group of testosterone. She poured hot tea from the kettle into two cups, before returning it back on the burner. She glanced over at Beast Boy, who was hysterically laughing with his friends, and smirked.

She loved the way he laughed, and goofed off with his friends. Well she loved when he goofed off _sometimes_. But this was definitely one of the moments she enjoyed.

Raven walked to the couch with the cups in each of her hand. She sat on the coffee table in front of Beast Boy and handed him a cup.

"I made some tea."

"Thanks baby."

Raven narrowed her eyes at him for saying "baby."

Beast Boy took the cup from her and brought it to his lips. He smiled at her before blowing on the hot beverage and taking a sip. He savored the delicious taste that warmed his mouth. He licked the sweet liquid on his lips, tasting every drop. She knew how to make a good cup of tea. He winked at her before taking another sip.

Raven blushed at his wink, and quickly looked down at her tea. Beast Boy smirked at her reaction, finding it extremely cute. She had warned him about the name calling. However she secretly loved it, but she wasn't about to tell him that. They had been officially dating for about a month and she was the happiest she's ever been.

The two engaged in their own conversation, while the group of guys still playfully argued in the back ground.

Starfire entered the room with Silkie in her arms. She wore a frown on her face that caught Robin's attention.

"What's wrong Star?" He asked worriedly.

"Silkie is not well. He has regurgitated his meal, and has the shaking."

Robin also frowned and left his conversation with the guys. He walked over to Starfire, and put his hand on Silkie's head.

"What's wrong little guy?"

Silkie whimpered and continued shaking.

"We should contact a doctor." Starfire said.

Robin shook his head and looked at Starfire.

"I'm not sure if taking him to the vet is such a good idea Star. He would scare a lot of people, and he was made in a lab. I'm not sure they would even know how to treat him."

Starfire frowned at this and cocked her head.

"Why would Silkie scare citizens? He is friendly and cute, is he not? The doctor has to know a form of treatment. My Silkie needs help." She said anxiously.

Robin tried to crawl out of the hole he just dug. "Silkie is cute and friendly to us, but to other people-

"Other people are not my concern! Silkie needs help and shall get it!" Starfire pleaded.

Robin sighed and rubbed the back of his head. She was right. Silkie was sick and needed help.

"Okay I'll call the vet and make an appointment." Robin said.

He walked over to the computer and pulled up the closest vet to them on google maps. He dialed the number on his phone and waited for a receptionist to pick up.

"Thank you for calling Northview Vet Hospital. This is Erica speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hello. I'm calling to make an appointment for my…" Robin paused and looked at Silkie. "My cat." He finished the sentence.

"Okay and have you been here before?"

"Um, no. This is actually my first time calling."

"Okay, I just need some basic contact information and then we can get you an appointment time."

"Okay, sure."

While Robin talked on the phone with the receptionist, Starfire walked over to the kitchen.

"Oh my little zorkaberry, what is the matter? Why are you so under the weather?"  
Starfire asked Silkie, while softly petting him.

Silkie just whimpered and shivered in her arms.

Starfire walked over to the sink. She gently placed Silkie on the counter, and then grabbed a bowl. She turned on the faucet and began filling the bowl with cool water.

"Here. You need the hydration." Starfire said, offering the bowl.

Silkie turned his head from the water, and whimpered again.

Starfire frowned and tried again.

"Silkie, you have not had any water today. Please try to drink." She pleaded.

She placed the bowl on the counter next to him. Silkie slowly faced her and looked at her with sad eyes. He moved towards the bowl and stopped a few inches from it.

"Go on." She gently coaxed him.

Silkie closed the gap between him and the bowl and lifted his head. He began lapping up the water with his tongue.

Starfire relaxed a little, happy to see him drink the water. She didn't know what was wrong with him or how to help, but she knew that it was important to keep him hydrated. She just hoped it would be enough to help him until a doctor saw him.

"Good boy." Starfire smiled. She gently pet his head while he drank.

He took a few more licks of water before backing away and resting on the counter.

"That was very good. We will try again later. For now, rest in my arms."

She gently scooped him up and nestled him in her arms. His shivering wasn't as intense, but was still there. She worried for the little larva she held in her arms.

"Tomorrow at eleven am? Okay, thank you. Bye." Robin hung up and turned around to look at Starfire.

"Okay Silkie has an appointment tomorrow at eleven."

Starfire's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Thank you."

"Of course Star." Robin looked at Silkie and sighed. "I hope they can help him."

He remembered when he said he would be bringing in a cat. "I'm going to run to the store and pick up a cat carrier." At least that way they could conceal Silkie from other people Robin thought.

Starfire slowly nodded her head. She didn't understand why Robin would run to the store.

"Okay, but Robin why would you have to run? We have vehicles do we not?"

Robin couldn't help but laugh. He found it cute the way she still didn't understand some slang or phrases.

Starfire raised her eyebrow and cocked her head. She couldn't help but smile at Robin's burst of laughter.

"What is funny?"

"I won't be physically running to the store. I'm taking the R-cycle. People just say 'I got to run to the store' when they need to buy things. They don't really run. Well if they had no other way to get there it would be true in that case, but mainly they have cars."

"Oh I see." Starfire smiled.

She looked at Silkie and smiled.

"Then I will 'run' with you. I would also like to know what a 'cat carrier' is."

Robin smiled and nodded his head.

Starfire walked back toward Robin's room with Silkie in her arms. She walked slowly so she wouldn't upset his stomach.

"Okay Silkie. Robin and I will be going to the store of shopping. We are going to purchase an item that I assume will assist in carrying you to the doctor, although my arms are quite capable."

She walked into Robin's room and over to the bed. She gently placed Silkie on her pillow and rubbed his head.

"I will return shortly."

She walked away from Silkie and toward the door. She looked at him and sighed before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

She didn't want to leave his side, but she knew that he needed rest. Being in a quiet place was probably the best thing for him now.

She smiled at the thought of Silkie receiving the care he needed. She was happy that Robin made an appointment.

She walked into the lobby and toward Robin.

"I am ready."

"Okay."

They walked to the elevator and pressed the garage button.

Robin grabbed her hand and held it.

"Silkie will be okay. I promise."

Starfire smiled at him. The way he cared so much was amazing, and made her so happy. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. He hugged her back, and held her close to him.

"Thank you Robin."

"You're welcome Star."

She leaned back and looked him in the eyes.

"You are wonderful." She said to him.

Robin blushed, and smiled at her. She stood on her tip toes and leaned in for a kiss. He closed his eyes and touched his lip's against hers. He squeezed her tighter, and moved closer. His lips tingled and he felt his face get hot. Starfire loved how amazing each kiss they shared was, and always found herself weak in the knees.

Starfire backed away and looked into his eyes. His cheeks were red and it made her smile.

"You make me so happy Star."

"You make me happy too."

The couple smiled and held hands. They enjoyed their company as they descended towards the garage.


	10. Chapter 10: Remedy

**Chapter 10: Remedy**

"What in the world is that?!" The vet assistant shrieked, ripping her hands away from the cat carrier.

She backed up and placed her hands on the counter behind her, as if she needed help to stand. Robin sighed and rubbed the back of his head, expecting this exact reaction.

"It's a little hard to explain…" Robin started to say.

"That…thing is not a cat! Cats have fur…and legs!" She cried again.

The women appeared to be young and relatively new to the workplace. Robin guessed she was straight out of high school and in training. She wore pink scrubs that had tiny kittens printed on them, and a matching pink stethoscope. Her ID photo showed her smiling big, and wearing pink blush. Her name was Zoey.

Starfire approached the cage and stuck her hands in. She scooped Silkie out and began cuddling him. She frowned at the vet assistant's reaction. She didn't understand how someone could be scared of something so cute.

"Zoey, may I call you that?"

Zoey slowly nodded.

"Zoey, Please let me explain. You see, this is our pet Silkie. Yes he is clearly not a cat, but as you can see that would have made making the appointment difficult. This is something you can't explain over the phone." Robin continued.

Zoey, still staring at Silkie, slowly nodded her head and listened.

"You see, Silkie was an experiment… He has the DNA of a moth. This is the larvae stage, but he is much…larger. He was genetically modified to be this way. And I know what you're thinking, giant larvae equals giant moth. Well, not exactly. He has not transformed yet, and I don't think he will. I believe it's due to his DNA being genetically altered."

Zoey slowly moved her gaze from Silkie and looked at Robin. She understood everything he said, but had difficulty processing it. She blinked at him absent mindedly a few times before answering.

"I want to say this is the coolest thing I've seen, but it's also the scariest." She looked at Silkie again before shuddering. "This was a science experiment…"

"Yes."

"By you?"

"No. The lab and scientist responsible are classified."

"Classified? Is this thing even legal?"

"Yes. Just think of it as your normal little moth larva, just really big."

Zoey nodded and quickly leaned up.

"I um…I need to go brief the Vet." Zoey rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Robin sighed and sat down in the chair beside him. He wasn't sure if they were going to ask them to leave or how the Vet would react.

"I do not understand. Silkie is cute, and very kind. Why would he scare anyone?"

Robin looked over at Starfire, and smiled. She was holding Silkie in her arms protectively and wore a worried look on her face. He admired her beautiful emerald eyes before answering.

"People are always afraid of something they don't understand. Once they understand Silkie, I think they will like him too." Robin reassured her.

Starfire smiled and looked down at Silkie.

"It's okay my little love bug. They will understand you."

Robin smiled at her. He loved how much she cared for Silkie, and how motherly she was towards him. He thought about how she would be with children. He blushed at thought of them having children, then quickly erased the image from his head.

The door opened and an older lady walked in. She looked like she was in her late 30s early 40s. Zoey followed closely behind, and shut the door behind her. The Vet looked at Silkie and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh…you weren't kidding."

"Nope. It's real." Zoey said nervously.

The Vet reached for the glasses that hung around her neck. She put them on, and took a closer step towards Silkie.

"Interesting. Certainly a pet for the Teen Titans." The Vet said.

Zoey's eyes widened. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I didn't recognize you guys! I thought it was weird when I saw you wearing a mask, but you guys look so different in normal clothes! I am a huge fan-

"Zoey pet first, autographs later." The Vet said, looking over at the star-struck assistant.

"Yes, of course." Zoey straightened her form and cleared her throat, in an attempt to redeem herself from her embarrassing outburst.

"My name is Dr. Stefano. What seems to be the problem with your ' _cat'_." She said the word cat sarcastically, and eyed Robin from the corner of her eye.

Robin smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.

"He regurgitated his meal this morning, and has been shaking since then. He refuses meal and water intake, and seems to have a higher body temperature than normal." Starfire replied, looking at Dr. Stefano.

Dr. Stefano raised an eyebrow at Starfire's speech, before paying full attention to Silkie.

"Okay, just place the little guy on the table over here and we will have a look at him."

Starfire nodded, and gave Silkie a quick reassuring smile.

"Zoey, take out your phone and research moth larva and see what you can find."

"Yes ma'am." Zoey replied, quickly plucking her phone from her scrub pocket. Her phone case was pink and bedazzled. Starfire approved of the timid assistant's style, whereas Robin felt the over use of pink slightly nauseating

"Now when you fed him this morning, was it his usual food?" Dr. Stefano asked, shinning a light into Silkie's eyes.

"Oh, yes. I feed him the same meal every morning."

"What does his diet consist of?"

"We feed him a special pellet that my team mate Cyborg designed." Robin answered.

"Cyborg…ah yes the robot looking fella apart of the Teen Titans. Sweet guy, he saved my dog once."

Robin and Starfire exchanged glances, making sure they both heard Dr. Stefano.

"Anyway, so what does this "special pellet" consist of?"

"It consists of nectar and tree sap. They complement the natural raw diet of a wild moth. However…He does eat table food. He sneaks into the fridge at night and helps himself…but that has not affected him in over two years. We believe that whatever he was genetically mutated with allows him to have such a…strange diet." Robin said, looking down at Silkie.

"Did he maybe get into some spoiled food, or maybe he overate?"

"Well that's just it. After our tower was attacked, which I'm sure you saw on the news, Silkie has not eaten any table food. No more midnight snacks either." Robin held his chin in thought, and pondered for a moment.

"Yes I remember hearing about that. My family was a little worried. The article stating everyone was okay and the tower was under repair lifted a lot of spirits." Dr. Stefano said, giving Robin and Starfire a warm smile.

Robin and Starfire couldn't help but smile back. It felt nice knowing people in the city cared for them. That people cheered for them, and that they apparently had fans. Robin made it a note to himself to be a little more open with the public. He thought it would be a good idea to offer comfort to the city. Let them know that the Teen Titans still stand strong and will continue to watch over their beloved city.

Silkie let out a little whimper, and began shaking more visibly.

"Oh my little love bug!" Starfire cooed as she went by his side, and coaxed him gently.

"Zoey? Find anything?"

"No, this information is no good due to the fact Silkie isn't a natural moth. And also these pictures of bugs are creeping me out…no offense."

Starfire offered a smile to reassure Zoey that no offense was taken.

The Vet used her stethoscope to check Silkie's breathing and pulse. She recorded the information on a note pad, and then replaced her stethoscope around her neck. She walked over to a cabinet and opened it up. She retrieved a small device before heading back over to the exam table.

"This is the same thermometer parents use on newborns; this is the only thing I can think of using to get a temperature from him."

Robin nodded his head and looked at Silkie.

The Dr. turned on the thermometer and placed it on Silkie's forehead. Thirty seconds later it was beeping, and the temperature read on a digital screen.

"101.0 Fahrenheit. He definitely has a fever."

"Is he is going to be the okay?"

"Well from what I gather, he's showing symptoms of the flu. Lack of appetite, vomiting, chills, and fever all fit the category. I'll prescribe him a low dose of antibiotics, and if he needs a higher dose we will take it from there."

Robin nodded his head and smiled. "Okay, sounds good. Thank you doc."

"You're welcome." Dr. Stefano said, smiling warmly

"Oh and I believe he is sick due to stress, most likely from the attack on your tower. If he hasn't been normal since then, it is most likely due to trauma. Try some stress relief activities with him. I'll even prescribe you a low dose of Xanax to help calm him."

She took out a prescription note pad and wrote down Silkie's medications. She tore the piece of paper off and handed it to Zoey.

"Have the prescriptions filled for them, I have to see my next appointment."

"Yes ma'am." Zoey said, taking the paper from the Vet's hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both, I'm glad the Titans are still watching over us." Dr. Stefano said before exiting the room, with Zoey trailing behind.

' _The Titans…'_ The name stuck out to Robin and he pondered on it for a moment. He felt a smile threaten to appear, so he bit his bottom lip to conceal it. ' _The Titans..'_ He said again in his mind. He looked over at Starfire who was gently guiding Silkie back into his crate. ' _She's grown so much…'_ She was no longer the strange teenage princess who crash landed on earth. Four years had passed since they formed the Teen Titans and so much has happened in that time. He noticed Starfire was taller, and had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. He blushed and looked down, trying not to notice other things that had grown too…

As he stared at the tiled floor he chuckled to himself. They were no longer the ' _Teen_ Titans'…They were simply the Titans.

"What is funny Robin?" Starfire asked curiously.

Robin snapped back into reality and looked up at Starfire. She was holding the cat carrier in both arms, and had a concerned look across her face.

"Oh um, I just had a thought. I think we should have a team meeting tonight."

"Is something the matter?"

"Don't worry, it will be a good meeting."

"Oh, I cannot wait!" Starfire beamed.

"Me either." Robin said, smiling at her.

Zoey popped into the room holding a white bag.

"Okie dokie, you're all set. Just go to the front desk and Lisa will ring you up."

"Okay, thank you." Robin said, grabbing the bag from Zoey's hand.

Zoey smiled at Robin, and blushed a little. She looked at Starfire and gave a small wave, before shuddering at the sight of Silkie. Zoey quickly disappeared from the room, making Robin chuckle a little.

"Alright Star, let's go home."


	11. Chapter 11: Moving forward

**A/N: I am so sorry that this chapter took so long! Between writers block and work, I have been very busy. I hope you guys like this chapter, and I will try to get my updates in on time. This chapter is the transition into the next part of my story, I hope you like it, and feel free to ask questions. Suggestions are welcomed as well! Thanks again, and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 11: Moving Forward**

The elevator doors opened as Starfire and Robin entered the lobby.

Cyborg and Speedy were on the couch playing a video game. It was the same racing game Beast Boy and Cyborg always competed on. Beast Boy was watching them play, rooting for Speedy to win. They were shouting and button mashing the controllers. Robin frowned when he eyed the red controller in Speedy's hand. ' _I swear if he breaks that…'_

"Hey guys!" Beast Boy shouted from the couch, still keeping his focus on the television screen.

"Greetings friends!" Starfire cheered. She was happy that Silkie got the help he needed and would recover. She was also excited for the meeting Robin wanted to hold.

Raven, entering the lobby with a book tucked under her arm, looked to Starfire curiously. Without admitting it, Raven was worried about Silkie and wanted to know how the appointment went.

Starfire saw Raven looking at her, and read the expression on her face. A feeling of warmth spread through Starfire, and she flashed Raven a brilliant smile. Knowing Raven was concerned about Silkie made her beam inside. She felt as if their relationship had improved immensely, and she couldn't help but float over to Raven. Starfire placed the crate on the ground, and opened it. Silkie slowly crawled out and moved towards the hallway, most likely heading for Robin's room.

"Friend Raven, Silkie is going to be the okay!" Starfire said, wrapping her arms around her.

Robin stared at the two, wondering what Raven's reaction would be. Robin almost gasped when he saw Raven place her book on the table beside them and return the hug. To his amazement she even offered Starfire a small smile.

"I'm glad he's alright. What did the Vet say?" Raven asked.

Starfire pulled away from the hug and motioned for Robin to come stand next to them. Robin smiled at the two, still amazed in Raven's new friendship attitude.

"The white bag Robin is holding contains Silkie's medications. The doctor prescribed him antibiotics for the flu and Xanax for the stress relief. She believes the stress is induced from the….when….." Starfire's sentenced trailed off. She didn't want to finish the sentence. She wasn't bothered by it when the Vet said it. However, when she tried to say it, she just couldn't. She couldn't speak the words of that terrifying trauma.

Everyone in the room caught this, and the room fell silent. The boys on the couch paused the racing match, and exchanged glances. They looked over to Starfire, feeling her pain.

Robin put the mediation down on the table and grabbed Starfire's hand. He gave it a comforting squeeze, and looked at Raven. He decided to tell the rest of it himself, hoping to distract Starfire's mind.

"The Vet gave us a low dose for the medicine because Silkie is… well… complicated and unknown. She will increase the dose if necessary, but she thinks he will recover quickly with rest and treatment."

Cyborg sighed and stood up, stretching a little before walking over to Robin.

"I won this match so I'm done playing." Cyborg said, his back facing Beast Boy and Speedy.

"Yeah right!" Beast Boy said, turning to the TV to validate his reasoning. He dropped his jaw when the paused screen read "Cyborg Wins!"

"What!? How!?" Beast Boy cried out. The only reason he rooted for Speedy was so he could watch his video game enemy lose. Yet Cyborg won.

Speedy mumbled 'cheater' before putting the controller on the coffee table.

Speedy stood up, and walked over to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. He popped open the tab, and leaned on the counter. He found it hard to make eye contact with Starfire. Her expression when she was sad made him feel like shit. So he looked at the rest of the group.

Cyborg was standing next to Robin now and folded his arms. He was also interested in Silkie's health and wanted to know what the Vet said.

Robin began discussing the appointment to Cyborg. Raven read the sad expression on Starfire's face and grabbed her book from the table. She tucked it under her arm, and held out her other hand to Starfire.

"Why don't we go check on Silkie?" Raven said, offering Starfire some comfort.

"Okay, thank you friend Raven." Starfire said, offering a weak smile. She found it upsetting that she couldn't even say the word explosion. She couldn't say Slade's name, or Red X's either. The thought of them constantly haunting her made her feel alone and depressed.

Raven took Starfire's hand, and they both began to leave the room. Raven looked over her shoulder at Robin, who gave her a nod. She turned her focus back to Starfire, who was staring at the ground as they walked.

Raven knew that Starfire was still traumatized from the kidnapping, and wanted to help Starfire in any way she could. Raven was having a hard time getting over the ordeal herself, so she could only imagine what Starfire was going through.

They walked down the hall, towards Robin's room. They entered Robin's room, and found Silkie sleeping on the bed. He was curled up on Robin's pillow, snoring slightly.

Starfire smiled and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I am hopeful that the treatment will work. I love my Silkie very much. He's my little Bumgorf." She said, rubbing his back.

"I am sure he will be okay, the vet sounded like she knew her stuff." Raven said. She took a seat beside Starfire, and put her book on her lap.

Starfire turned towards Raven, and glanced at the book. The book look brand new and the title read "Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America."

"Friend Raven, you searched a way to help Silkie through that book?"

Raven looked down and cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. I was looking for anything that might help."

"Thank you." Starfire could feel tears sting in her eyes. She was overwhelmed with emotions, and just couldn't hold it back anymore.

Raven frowned and offered Starfire a hug. "Hey, it's okay Starfire."

Starfire began sobbing, and wrapped her arms around Raven.

"I…I have been trying so hard to….do the moving on….but I am afraid." Starfire explained between sobs.

Raven pulled away from the hug and looked Starfire in the eyes. "What are you afraid of?"

"I have night terrors of…him. Every night. I am afraid he will come again." Starfire said, standing up and walking over to the wall. She slid down, bringing her knees to her chest.

Raven stood up, and walked over to her. She knelt down in front of her, placing her hands on Starfire's knees.

"You are safe now Starfire, He can't get you. Not ever again."

"I find it hard to live normally….when I look at every one, I think about hurting them. The things I did were terrible!" Starfire buried her face into her hands.

"Hey that wasn't you! Slade made you do those things, he was controlling you!"

Starfire shuddered at his name, inhaling sharply. She couldn't stand to hear it.

"Starfire, we love you. You didn't hurt us, Slade did. Don't ever think that for a second we think differently of you. You are still a member of this team, you are still our friend. Slade will pay for what he did to us, to you."

Starfire looked up at Raven with wide eyes. She never heard Raven talk in that tone before.

"Raven…"

"I will make sure he never hurts anybody ever again." Raven said coldly, slightly gritting her teeth.

Starfire raised an eyebrow in confusion. She didn't understand what Raven meant.

Raven mentally kicked herself to shut up. She didn't want anyone to know she was planning on going up against Slade. She wanted revenge. All the time she spent away, in the other dimension, was for a reason. She trained. She got stronger, and for one reason. To kill Slade.

The way she felt, watching her team mates being ripped apart, and hurt. She couldn't bear it. Any of it. The sight of Beast Boy lying on the ground dying, the sight of Starfire being controlled by Slade, and the sight of Robin crying over Starfire's body. The rage she kept bottled up was directed to one person. Slade. She was done with him tormenting their lives. She was ready to end it, without bringing her team into it. She couldn't let them know how she felt, and what she was going to do. It was better this way.

Raven cleared her throat and stood up. She straightened out her cloak and held her hand out for Starfire. Starfire took it and Raven pulled her to her feet.

"Come on let's get you cleaned up."

Raven changed the subject, and focused on cheering Starfire up.

Starfire nodded her head, still focused on what Raven had just said. She didn't like the way Raven said it, or what it might mean.

Raven led her out of Robin's room and toward the bathroom. She walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Take a nice long shower. And later tonight, I think it's time we had our first sleepover. I know it's something you've always wanted to do, and sleepovers aren't really my thing, but if it helps-

Starfire threw her arms around Raven. "Thank you!" Starfire beamed, completely forgetting Ravens previous scary statement.

"You're welcome, now relax. You need it."

Starfire pulled away and smiled. "You are a great friend."

Raven smiled, then left the bathroom. She stood in the hallway for a brief moment before walking to her room.

She sighed, knowing that keeping her revenge a secret was going to be really hard on the team, especially Starfire. But she knew what had to be done, and there was nothing that would stop her.

She walked to her room, frowning for a moment. 'The only pink thing in my room better be Starfire's pajamas' she mumbled before entering her room.

Back in the lobby, Robin was just finishing up his discussion with Cyborg. They talked of a good way to improve security and the building's structure.

"Alright, we can discuss this more later. I am holding a team meeting tonight. There's something that I want to discuss with everyone."

"Okay, looking forward to hearing it." Cyborg said, patting Robin on the back.

Cyborg walked over to Beast Boy and began to help him up.

"Let's get you to physical therapy." Cyborg said.

"Aw man, I hate physical therapy!" Beast Boy whined, crossing his arms.

Robin sighed and looked over to Speedy, who was still leaning on the counter.

"Speedy, I want Titan's East here for the meeting too. Around seven o'clock."

"Sure thing. ….Hey can I talk to you a sec?" Speedy said, placing his soda on the counter.

"Sure, what's up?"

Robin took a step closer to Speedy, giving him a curious look.

"Is Starfire…okay? I know what happened was terrible, but she seems like she's holding a lot of it in."

Robin sighed, and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, she's just trying to find ways to cope. She is getting better though, every day. She just needs to know that everyone here cares about her and will support her."

"Yeah, and one more thing. Aqualad….he might act a little weird, especially with seeing Starfire. He just feels guilty for having to blast his water at her like that. Watching her almost die really took a toll on him. I'll have to talk to him before the meeting."

"Alright, I'm here if you need help."

Speedy nodded before heading to the elevator. On the way down, he grabbed his communicator and called the Titans East tower.

"What's up Speedy?" Bumblebee answered.

"Robin is calling for a meeting tonight at the Titan Tower. Have everyone gather around seven."

"What's it about?"

"Not sure yet, but it has to be pretty important if he's asking both teams to be there."

"Alright but Speedy, Aqualad-

"I know…I'll talk to him."

"Okay, see you soon."

"See ya."

He ended the call, and took a deep breath. He was curious about the meeting himself and wondered why Robin wanted to hold one.

Robin walked down the hallway, towards Raven's room. He knew Starfire was upset when she left the lobby, and hoped Raven had cheered her up.

He stopped at Raven's door, and knocked. He waited a few seconds, then Raven answered the door.

"Hey Rae, how is she?"

"She's okay. She's in the shower relaxing. I told her we could have a sleepover tonight, and that seemed to really cheer her up."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "A sleepover?" He smirked.

"Yeah I know. It's really not my thing, but she was really bummed out so I thought it would help."

"Wow, that's was really sweet of you Raven."

"Yeah…whatever…"Raven blushed with embarrassment.

"Maybe Starfire can cheer this place up, some pink would do your room good."

Raven glared at Robin, and narrowed her eyes.

Robin held his hands in front of him and laughed "I'm kidding!"

Raven smirked and gave Robin a playful push.

"Whatever, my sense of style is way better, rainbow boy."

"Ouch." Robin said jokingly.

Robin cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Well all insults aside, tonight I'm holding a team meeting. It's around seven, and The Titan's East will be here too."

Raven frowned "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just want to discuss something with everybody."

"Alright."

"See you later." Robin said, nodding his head. He turned away, and walked down the hall.

Raven frowned before shutting her door. She wondered what the meeting was about.

Robin walked down to the bathroom and stopped at the door. He pushed the button for the door to open and walked in.

"Hello?" Starfire called from the shower.

"It's me Star." Robin said.

"Oh, do you need to use the facility, I can-

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Starfire poked her head out of the shower, and smiled at Robin. She held the shower curtain around her chest.

"I am the okay Robin, thank you."

The water made her hair even longer and stick to her back and arms. Her face was a warm pink color, from the hot water, and the water droplets rolled off her velvet skin.

Robin gulped and turned his face away. Even though they both slept together, he never saw her with that much skin exposed. They never got intimate, in fact kissing is all they've ever done.

"Sorry, um the meeting is at seven." He turned around and left the bathroom.

Starfire giggled, and then returned to her shower. She found it very cute and gentlemen like that he turned around and left so quickly. It made her feel butterflies in her stomach. Then a thought crossed her mind. They have been sleeping together ever since the incident, because she needed the comfort. She never thought about it as being intimate until now. She was sleeping next to him…in his bed...every night. She could feel her heart racing. That thought never even crossed her mind. Between the nightmares and stress, she never really fully acknowledged sleeping next to the man she loved. Then she wondered if he thought the same thing.

She could feel her face get hot and she sat down on the tub floor, bringing her knees to her chest. She wondered what her team thought about it. If they probably thought that Robin and her were…intimate. She felt her heart skip a beat. She loved Robin, and everyone knew it. They had declared their new relationship to the team before the incident. Maybe that's what she needed right now, to focus on her relationship with Robin. He made her feel so safe and loved. He cared for her, and even took the time to be a romantic gentleman with her. She wanted to take their relationship to the next level. She knew she wouldn't be completely unafraid of the attack and of Slade, but she didn't want it to control her life any longer.

She took a deep breath and stood up. She opened the shower curtain and stepped out. She walked over to the vanity and opened the top drawer. She retrieved a pink razor, and returned to the shower. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest from being both excited and nervous.

Robin walked straight to his room, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge. He looked over at Silkie who was sound asleep on his pillow, and smiled. He was glad he was going to be okay.

He leaned back, lying down on the bed with his arms underneath his head. He stared at the celling and sighed.

Seeing Starfire in the shower made him think of their relationship. She had been staying in his room with him ever since the incident, and even slept next to him. He knew that she needed the emotional support and comfort, but he couldn't help but think about her in a different way. Every time he kissed her it felt amazing and he loved it, but he wondered if they were ready to take their relationship to the next level. If _she_ was ready that is.

Robin sighed, and flipped over onto his stomach.

He didn't want to discuss that with her yet. She was still recovering from the incident, and needed all the support she can get. He loved her, and she was absolutely worth the wait.

He changed the subject in his mind and focused on the meeting he was holding tonight. He had to admit, he was a little nervous about it. He wasn't nervous about the speaking part, but rather the topic itself. He thought that it would be the perfect time to discuss a new team name. It would be more appropriate to adopt a new title. The Titans. The team had grown so much, and they grew together. In many ways, they were a family, so making this decision would have to be a team vote.

Robin smiled as he thought about the last few years. His friendship with everyone was special, especially Starfire's. He thought about how she came to earth, and how he always wanted to tell her how he felt. But here he was, sleeping next to her every night, and telling her he loved her every day. The transition was extraordinary.

Robin flipped over and sat up. He stretched before standing up, and walking towards his door. He left his room, and down the hall to his office. He had some planning to do before the meeting.


End file.
